The battle of all battles in the recent round of assembly polls in various states is waged in Maharashtra, where the Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP is pitted against the Maha Vikas Aghadi consisting of the Congress-NCP(Pawar)-Shiv Sena(Uddhav) parties. With polling taking place today in all the 288 constituencies, both sides are hopeful of a win. All eyes are on exit poll results, also involving Jharkhand, which could be expected shortly after the end of the polling.
The elections in Maharashtra are crucial for both the BJP and the Congress. The Congress narrowly missed the bus in Haryana, where the BJP retained power even as exit polls predicted a Congress win. If the Congress (alliance) loses the larger state of Maharashtra, the effect will be most demoralizing to the grand old party. If the ruling alliance involving the BJP and the rebel Shiv Sena – NCP factions retains power, it will be a reinforcement of the BJP clout in Maharashtra, where it had emerged the single largest party in the last assembly polls too. A win for the BJP will reinforce the relevance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, as votes were sought by the BJP mainly on the strength of his public appeal, apart from regional issues. The clout of the rebel Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, who had broken away from the parent party two years ago to side with the BJP, will also be put to test. Equally important is the tally for the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction), as this is the first time the party is facing a major electoral test after the split. NCP leader Sharad Pawar’s clout too will be under test after his nephew Ajit Pawar split the party and joined hands with the BJP and Shinde to run the present government.
The appeal of the regional leaders is significant in Maharashtra. Pawar, the old warhorse, still keeps his powder dry by virtue of his immense hold over the Marathas in western Maharashtra. Whether his nephew managed to wean away a major section of the NCP is a big question while Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is seeking to establish her clout in the parent party. NCP has the tag of a hugely corrupt political establishment, but regional support for elder Pawar remained strong. During the campaign, the BJP and PM Modi faced charges of “favouritism” to Gujarat at the expense of Maharashtra, in terms of faster economic development at the behest of the central government. The BJP claims PM Modi has managed to win OBC support for the Mahayuti alliance while the chief minister sought votes by raising the slogan of Mahji Ladki Bahin to woo women voters. A division in the Shiv Sena votes this time might be an added advantage to the BJP.
