After continual bouts of sabre-rattling between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, decks have finally been cleared for chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to get elected to the state legislative council. It’s an anti-climax of sorts in the Maharashtra high drama that has triggered speculation about a possible rapprochement between the erstwhile allies.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold elections to nine seats of the Mahastratra Vidhan Parishad on May 21, exactly a week before the deadline for Uddhav to meet the statutory requirement of becoming a member of the either house of the state legislature ends. Uddhav, heading the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government, had taken oath on November 28. He has to become an MLA or an MLC within six months from the date he was sworn in, failing which he will cease to be the chief minister. Since all elections across the country had earlier been put on hold by the ECI owing to the pandemic lockdown, clouds of uncertainty hovered over Uddhav’s fate.
On April 9, the state cabinet had passed a resolution, advising governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to nominate Uddhav to the council against one of its vacant seats. But Raj Bhawan showed no hurry to take any decision and sought legal advice. It prompted Sena leaders to accuse Koshyari of acting at the behest of the BJP in a bid to create political instability.
As the controversy snowballed, Uddhav called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express concerns over the developments and reportedly sought his intervention. Two days later, much to Uddhav’s relief, the ECI announced the date for the polls. The ECI decision apparently came in response to a letter written by the governor requesting for the polls.
The decision of the BJP top brass to facilitate Uddhav’s entry is not devoid of political implications. Among other things, it is being interpreted as the BJP’s big gesture to patch up with the Sena, with which it had shared power for many years before they fell out over sharing of the chief minister’s post after the October 21 assembly elections. The Sena has since joined forces with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to run the government, but political observers still believe it is ideologically closer to the BJP. Sooner or later, they think, internal contradictions will lead to the downfall of the MVA coalition and that is why the BJP has chosen to leave its door ajar for its former ally.