As the Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena government looks certainty; there is cheer among the workers of NCP. Sharad Pawar has already started calling shots regarding the formation of government; the party has formed committee to formulate final draft of Common Minimum Programme (CMP), which will be shared with Shiv Sena.
As per a report by the ThePrint, NCP has already put the condition of equal treatment of minorities and migrants. “Minorities, migrants, Dalits, adivasis… they will be an integral part of the CMP. Migrants have faced a lot of problem in the past with Shiv Sena, and we are quite clear that they should be treated equally and there cannot be an atmosphere of fear,” said a NCP leader.
NCP is planning to destroy Shiv Sena completely. The core ideology of Shiv Sena is Marathi Manus plank and Hindutva. By allying with Congress party, Shiv Sena has already lost the Hindutava edge. Now, NCP has asked them to compromise on their second major strength- Marathi Manus or ‘son of the soil’ plank.
Shiv Sena has dominated the politics of Mumbai through its son of the soil plank. The party has ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) uninterruptedly since 1985.
BMC is the richest municipal corporation in the country with revenue receipt of 24,984 crore rupees. Interestingly, it is six times greater than the Pune Municipal Corporation which is the second richest Municipal Corporation in India. The budget of BMC is more than that of many smaller states like like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Goa.
Mumbai forms the core of Shiv Sena’s financial as well electoral base and by breaking alliance with BJP and, compromising on son of the soil stance; the party is set to lose it. In the last few years, BJP became as primary choice of the urban voters of Maharashtra. In 2017 municipal elections, which BJP and Shiv Sena contested separately, the party won 82 seats out of 227, only two less than Shiv Sena.
After the party compromises on ‘son of the soil’ stance, party’s base will be lost. Therefore the party is set to lose BMC by the next election. NCP has been eyeing on BMC for long, and it will have a golden opportunity to grab the municipal body after the Shiv Sena loses ‘son of the soil plank’.
The Shiv Sena leaders are already singing laurels of Sharad Pawar. “Pawar sahab is a tall leader and had good relations with Bala Sahab too,” said a Shiv Sena leader.
After the results for elections were declared, there was only two winners- Sharad Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis. The people of Maharashtra have given a very clear verdict, in favour of a Fadnavis-led government, with 161 seats out of 288. To form government, 145 seats are needed and the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has a clear majority in the state. But, Shiv Sena made the illegitimate demand of half term CM chair and the alliance dithered.
It is very clear that NCP will be dominant force if the alliance government comes to power. Shiv Sena does not have political support, shrewdness, craftsmanship, manpower, or money power to compete with well-oiled political infrastructure of Sharad Pawar led NCP.
The fighting spirit of the 78 year old Pawar was hailed by everyone; his speech amid rain generated many new Pawar fans. The number of seats won by the party increased from 41 to 54 and it became the third largest party, just two seats less than Shiv Sena (56). If the alliance comes to power, Pawar, a towering political figure in the state, will definitely overpower the 29 year old Aditya Thackeray.
Once the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance forms the government, the wily old Pawar will overpower both Shiv Sena and Congress and by the next election, he would weaken both parties through ‘merger and acquisition’. It seems there is only beneficiary to political chaos of Maharashtra- Shiv Sena.