Maharashtra clash

When Maharashtra went to the polls in 2019, the BJP and the Shiv Sena were on one side and the Congress as well as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on the other. Much water has flowed under the Bandra-Worli Sea Link since then. Perhaps no other state in India has witnessed such political upheaval in recent years. The 2024 battle is between the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. The MVA was in power for two-and-a-half years before Shinde spearheaded a rebellion within the Sena and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government.

Having seen both camps rule the state for half a term each, voters are in a position to make a reasonable comparison. They are hoping that there would be no repeat of the 2019 power games, which saw the ambitious Shiv Sena disregard the popular mandate to grab a bigger piece of the pie. The BJP has been in the thick of things all along. It has grown stronger in the state largely due to its knack for weakening other parties. However, it cannot afford to take its allies for granted.

No wonder unity is an important theme in the current elections, with the Prime Minister coming up with the slogan “Ek hain toh safe hain”. Ironically, this is applicable not only to the electorate but also to both alliances. The BJP is on firmer ground in Jharkhand, where disgruntled ex-CM Champai Soren has joined its ranks and the present incumbent, Hemant Soren, is facing ED heat over corruption charges. The Congress has high stakes there too as it is part of the JMM-led ruling alliance. Having had a good year so far (barring the Haryana shocker), Opposition bloc INDIA is looking to upstage the NDA in both states.