On December 30th, 36 MLAs from Maharashtra were inducted into the Uddhav Thackeray led Maharashtra cabinet. It was expected that the allocation of portfolios would be done on the same day as well, however, reports suggest that there is a big power tussle ongoing between the three alliance partners– NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena, with the latter two taking the maximum hits.
Congress leader and former Maharashtra CM, Prithviraj Chavan who was miffed at being denied any high portfolio has chosen to remain excluded from the cabinet. Chavan had reportedly demanded either the Revenue, Energy or Rural Development Ministry, all of which were rejected by Uddhav Thackeray. He then withdrew himself from the cabinet.
Sanjay Raut’s brother Sunil Raut too was denied a cabinet portfolio by the Sena, a move which had largely miffed Sanjay Raut. Meanwhile, the NCP, according to reports, has booked for itself the top portfolios of Home and Finance. It is no secret that Sharad Pawar is calling the shots in the unnatural alliance and the state at large. Moreover, due to his seniority and respectability in politics, both the Sena and Congress are finding it difficult to negotiate their terms with the NCP.
An NCP Cabinet minister further told TOI that there was a delay in portfolio allocation due to the Congress and its fresh set of demands. He added that the Congress was eyeing key portfolios like agriculture, rural development, transport, etc and that this was a sign of immaturity on their part. There is a clear rift between the alliance partners, with each trying to get for themselves the bigger share. In all of this, Sharad Pawar’s NCP seems to be in the best position, as they do not have to indulge in petty politics simply because Pawar is playing an essential role in maintaining and running the alliance.
Recently, the Congress had displayed its absolute homophobic ideology by trying to prove that Godse and Savarkar had physical relations. While this is a load of unadulterated bunkum, it goes on to prove how the Congress considers homosexuality a taboo and a topic of cheap political publicity.
Here too, the NCP thrashed the Congress for publishing objectionable material in their ‘Congress Seva Dal’ booklet. Speaking on the issue, NCP leader Nawab Malik said, “Writing objectionable articles is wrong, ideological differences are fine but personal comments should not be made, especially when the person (Savarkar) is not alive. The booklet should be withdrawn.”
This decision of the NCP is not one out of basic humanity, but more so a strategic step to alienate the Congress. Earlier, the Shiv Sena too had condemned the Congress’ publication of absolute lies. Sanjay Raut said, “Veer Savarkar was a great man and will remain a great man. A section keeps talking against him and it shows the dirt in their minds, whoever they might be.” It is evident that the Congress has lost its negotiating strength due to its comments on Savarkar, as even the NCP now is unwilling to back the grand old party. As such, the Congress is bound to be cornered in the alliance, and its chances of being given any top portfolio seem all the more unlikely.
The NCP emerges as the sole power centre in Maharashtra as such. The Shiv Sena and Congress are well aware that if at all anybody pulls the plug from the alliance, it would be Sharad Pawar. Moreover, Pawar leaving the Maha Vikas Aghadi would mean that it would return to power along with the BJP. The BJP will not ally with the Shiv Sena after the backstabbing it received after the state elections. A BJP-Congress alliance is a no-starter and a joke from the word go. As such, the NCP is the only party which the BJP can ally with to form the government in the future.
NCP, being in the most comfortable situation in this alliance, is trying its best to keep it intact and subservient to its own best interests. Both Sena and Congress are well aware of this prevalent scenario, and as such, they can do nothing but prostrate in front of the NCP.
