NEW DELHI: Has the dynamics within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti changed? Ajit Pawar‘s NCP, which had come under intense attack from several quarters, including the RSS, after Mahayuti’s dismal performance in Lok Sabha elections, seems to have moved closer to the BJP after the assembly elections.
With the Shiv Sena playing hardball over the CM’s post attributing the spectacular ‘Maha’ results to Eknath Shinde‘s performance as chief minister, Ajit Pawar threw his weight behind Devendra Fadnavis and helped the BJP counter Sena’s pressure games.
The NCP has openly sought parity with Shiv Sena arguing that their strike rate in assembly elections is better than Shinde Sena and hence they deserve the same number of seats in the new government.
“If we look at the strike rate in our alliance, the BJP is number one, followed by Ajit Dada’s group in second place and the Shinde group in third place. So, our strike rate is also good and we demand that we get as much representation as they do,” senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said as the three allies sit together to decide power sharing in Mahayuti 2.0.
Bhujbal’s claim is contrary to the facts as Shiv Sena’s strike rate of 70.4% (57/81) is slightly better than NCP which owns 41 of the 59 seats it contested at a strike rate of 69.5%. The BJP, meanwhile, was way ahead of its allies with a strike rate of 88.5% – winning 132 of the 149 seats it contested.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena had come together in 2022 – after Eknath Shinde led a successful revolt against Uddhav Thackeray leading to the fall of the opposition’s MVA government. The BJP then gave the CM’s post to Shinde and made Fadnavis work as his deputy in a move that surprised everyone.
Ajit Pawar joined the NDA government almost a year later after leading a successful revolt against his uncle Sharad Pawar and became the second deputy chief minister of the Mahayuti government. Both Shinde and Pawar eventually got complete control of their parties, including the official names and symbols.
However, after the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar, who could win only one seat, stared at a tense future in Mahayuti while Eknath Shinde consolidated his position as a Hindutva ally of the BJP. The RSS openly attacked the BJP for including NCP in the alliance.
The assembly elections marked the reversal of fortunes for Ajit Pawar as he decimated rival Sharad Pawar’s faction of NCP and won an impressive 41 seats. When the Shiv Sena, with 57 seats, demanded the chief minister’s post again for Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar played the spoilsport as he openly backed BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis who led the saffron party to a record performance of 132 seats.
In the last 10 days, while Eknath Shinde sulked and his Shiv Sena bargained hard, Ajit Pawar, who is sure of deputy CM post again, played his cards well and backed the BJP. One of the Sena leaders admitted that Ajit Pawar’s NCP had reduced his party’s bargaining power vis-Ã -vis the BJP.
The BJP has given Shinde Sena a long rope despite being only 13 seats short of majority in the 288-member assembly. When it comes to a numbers game, the BJP perhaps could do without either of the two allies.
However, the BJP, which made a bold statement in 2022 by making junior partner Shinde the chief minister, may not want to do away with the accrued gains by riding roughshod over its Hindutva ally in the state. By unilaterally announcing December 5 as the oath-ceremony date, the BJP has already given a strong signal that it will be calling the shots in Mahayuti 2.0.