In a major twist to the Maharashtra politics, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis once again took oath as the CM of Maharashtra. He took oath as the CM, with Ajit Pawar taking oath as the Deputy Chief Minister. Devendra Fadnavis even confirmed the same, as he reported to the press that the Governor has instructed the new faction to prove the majority by a specified date. Interestingly, Ajit Pawar has not taken oath in the capacity of an NCP leader, but as a separate faction unto himself.
While most are shocked with this overnight reversal, especially when Sharad Pawar had himself confirmed that Uddhav Thackeray would become the next CM of Maharashtra. However, perhaps the established political experts had forgotten that excessive attention towards one’s kiths and kin led to the downfall of the same.
Like the blind love of Dhritrashtra towards his son, the ambitions of Uddhav for his son Aditya Thackeray led to not only the unexpected coup, but also paved way for the inevitable downfall of Shiv Sena.
However, this is not something new. In 2014-15, the stage was apparently set for yet another term of Congress in Assam. Despite the controversies around the illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Tarun Gogoi was all set for his fourth consecutive term as the CM of Assam, with Himanta Biswa Sarma as his able deputy. However, Tarun wasn’t pleased with Himanta’s rise in stature, and like Dhritarashtra, he left no stone unturned in order to ensure his son Gaurav Gogoi has a smooth political debut. However, Tarun made the mistake of underestimating the charisma and the popularity of Himanta Biswa Sarma, who soon left the party to join the rival BJP. The rest, as they say, is history.
Likewise, in October 2019, BJP was all set to return to power, in alliance with Shiv Sena. Together, they had won 164 seats, which gave them a comfortable majority. However, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, goaded by the advices of Sanjay Raut, and his own greed for power and the ambition of securing a future for his son Aditya Thackeray, made the same mistake.
Shiv Sena first broke off the alliance with BJP, accusing them of not adhering to their alleged ’50:50’ policy. Then they approached the parties of NCP and Congress for an alliance, ready to bend over the back if necessary. They even went to the extent of disowning the very ideals which formed the core of Shiv Sena party, be it skipping their Ayodhya visit, or supporting the vandalism perpetrated right now in JNU.
However, it seems that BJP has paid them back in the same coin by convincing Ajit Pawar to make an unimaginable split in NCP. Only yesterday, the party supremo Sharad Pawar had confirmed that SS-NCP-Congress alliance would be a reality, with Uddhav Thackeray as the CM face. However, in less than 24 hours, the tables were overturned, leaving each party dumbstruck.
In Mahabharata, the insecurity towards Pandu and his sons led Dhritarashtra to the destruction of the Kuru clan. In the same way, Uddhav Thackeray’s insecurity towards the magnanimity of BJP, coupled by his ambitions for Aaditya Thackeray, led to not only Shiv Sena’s downfall, but also, in all probability, the political obituary of the same.