Pending a final word from the Supreme Court on the disqualification issue linked to the Shiv Sena MLAs who sided with rebel leader Eknath Shinde, the last word on the sustenance of the present power-sharing arrangement between the Sena rebels and the BJP is still uncertain. Yet, fact is the ‘tiger’ party has taken a major hit and recovery for it is difficult. Uddhav Thackery has proven his lack of leadership qualities, glaringly so, and the future of a political dynasty is left uncertain. For now, with the apex court granting time for a detailed consideration of the case, the Shinde side bought time. Efforts at ministry-making are under way, and the rebel Sena is guaranteed a fair share apart from the CM post. Be that as it may, the success of this alliance will depend on ensuring the cohesion between the Shinde side and the BJP in the days ahead.
The BJP, for now, has won back a share of power in the state – what was due to it after the 2019 assembly polls that threw it up as the single largest winner of seats. Uddhav Thackeray was partly – not fully – at fault over the somersault he did to grab the CM’s post following machinations by Sharad Pawar to share power through his midwifing of a new alliance. The BJP’s poaching of the Sena space during the Devendra Fadnavis term had caused strains in the relations between the Sena and the BJP. But, having allied with NCP and the Congress to run an alternative government in the past nearly three years, the Sena men found that Pawar and the NCP were gaining the upper hand over them and sharing more of the spoils of power. The aloofness of Uddhav — not possessing natural leadership skills as he had been foisted onto the leadership bandwagon by his father – has alienated major sections of the Sainiks from him. Uddhav bringing in his son Aditya too into the ministry caused its own problems for the Sena.
While Pawar and Uddhav want fresh elections, they can be depended upon to do all they can to unsettle the Shinde-led government, granted that the SC would now clear the way for Shinde. Curiously, Mumbai remained entirely peaceful even as the Thackerays were hit badly by Shinde and rebel Sena legislators. This could signal the alienation of Uddhav from the rank and file of the party to the full. The Mumbai-Thane belt was where the Sena ‘tiger’ roared all along. It is precisely there that Shinde took the wind out of Uddhav’s sails.
