Power play in Mumbai

A fortnight’s delay for ministry formation in Maharashtra is nothing “objectionable” to frown at; yet, it eloquently hints at bad blood that would run through the veins of the new ‘baby’ that will be anointed into office there. Clearly, despite the electorate giving a clear and impressive verdict in favour of the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP, the drag in the formation of the ministry is unacceptable and demonstrates a sense of irresponsibility on the part of the three allies. The principal reason for this is their failure to fashion consensus on two fronts: one, the BJP’s own failure to select its CM face; and two, to decide as to which party should take the CM post. There was utter confusion, bargaining and vacillation on these crucial aspects. A high point of this was the hospitalization of a “sick” Eknath Shinde at the crucial hour.
As the party that won a near majority for itself in the 288-member assembly, no question should have arisen in the normal course about BJP’s right to lead the new government. But, Eknath Shinde and his Shiv Sena would not grant that honour to the BJP without a fight from the shadows. The BJP got more seats than the two alliance partners combined – 132. Yet, the Sena that got only 57 seats sent out signals for continuation of its leader as CM for another term. Two years ago, Eknath Shinde demanded and got the CM’s post even as the BJP retained its status as the single largest entity in the assembly. He sought it as a reward for breaking the parent Sena, leading to the downfall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. Uddhav Thackeray won the CM’s post in 2019 by bargaining with the NCP and Congress after unscrupulously breaking the Sena’s long-held ties with the BJP. Hence there was blood on both their hands. An unwelcome precedent had been set for Maharashtra in 2019 — that even a small party can browbeat the larger party and appropriate the CM’s post. A similar scenario already existed in Bihar, where a crafty Nitish Kumar heading a small-time party –the JDU— sits as CM for many years by browbeating the BJP and other larger entities that allied with him. Now, immediately after the present results were out in Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde’s men raised the “Bihar example.”
The material difference between the leader of a small regional party heading a state government and the leader of a national party sitting in the CM’s chair is huge. National parties run the government at the Centre, as is the case with the BJP now. Bihar remains poor thanks also to the stewardship of self-serving regional chieftains as CMs there. Such CMs fail to get the state’s dues from Delhi. Maharashtra too suffered on this count in recent years.