The newly elected 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly may function without the Leader of Opposition (LoP). As per the legislative rules, a party with 10 per cent of the 288 seats or 29 seats can claim the post.

Accordingly, either Shiv Sena(UBT) or Congress need to get 29 seats to be eligible for the post. However, the present trends show that the MVA parties may fall short.

As per the latest trends, Shiv Sena(UBT) was leading in 20 seats, Congress in 19 and NCP(SP) in 12 seats. This means neither Shiv Sena(UBT) nor Congress will be in a position to stake claim over the LoP post. The Leader of Opposition’s post cannot be bagged based on the combined strength of opposition parties, as per the rules.

This is probably the first time since the first Assembly came into existence in the state in 1960 that there will be no LoP. It will be a major embarrassment for the Maha Vikas Aghadi as none of its constituents will be able to get the post. This means that the seat next to the deputy speaker in the front row on the opposition benches will lay vacant in the newly elected state Assembly.

During the 14th Assembly, Ajit Pawar was appointed as the LoP after the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. However, after Ajit Pawar joined the MahaYuti, the Congress legislator Vijay Wadettiwar became the LoP. It will be similar to the 16th Lok Sabha which did not have a Leader of Opposition. According to Parliament rules, the biggest Opposition party in the House has to have at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, or 55 seats, to be eligible for the post of Leader of Opposition.

No party had that number in the 16th Lok Sabha (June 2014 to February 2019). The Congress, with 44 MPs, emerged as the largest Opposition party, closely followed by J. Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK, at 37. There was no LoP in the Lok Sabha during the Prime Ministerships of Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi, when the Congress enjoyed a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, and the Opposition space had shrunk considerably.

–IANS

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The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana has proved to be a game changer for the MahaYuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Despite the opposition terming it a ‘bribe’ to the women, the MahaYuti made special efforts to promote the scheme by organising functions across the state. Each of the over 2.36 crore eligible women beneficiaries received Rs 7,500 (Rs 1,500 each for five months from July to November) and they overwhelmingly supported the MahaYuti.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in his reaction admitted that the Ladki Bahin Yojana had done wonders for MahaYuti resulting in resounding performance. Incidentally, the women and child development department headed by NCP Minister Aditi Tatkare and her team strived to make the scheme a great success as it was implemented smoothly without major errors. Of the total 9.70 crore voters, 6.40 crore voters cast their votes in November.

Of the 6.40 crore voters, 3.06 crore were women and 3.34 crore men. The MahaYuti’s pro-women campaign worked as they came in a large number to vote. The women voters responded positively to MahaYuti’s assurance to increase the monthly aid to Rs 2,100.

The Chief Minister during a series of rallies announced that the MahaYuti government after being voted to power will increase the monthly aid in phases to Rs 3,000.

On the other hand, Maha Vikas Aghadi’s promise of monthly aid of Rs 4,000 under the Mahalakshmi Yojana did not enthuse the women voters much. Women voters showed by voting in large numbers that they were happy with the MahaYuti’s fulfilment of its promise and its resolve to continue to the Ladki Bahin Yojana after coming to power again.

They were not prepared to wait for Maha Vikas Aghadi’s aid of Rs 4,000. The MahaYuti leaders, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Dy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, strongly projected that Maha Vikas Aghadi would close down all welfare and development schemes launched by the MahaYuti government.

CM Shinde and his two deputies also rubbished the opposition’s claim that the Ladki Bahin Yojana would be wound up as it was an election ‘jumla’. The Chief Minister and two Dy CMs reiterated that the welfare and development schemes have been launched considering the state’s financial condition by making adequate allocation.

The government has earmarked Rs 46,000 crore for Ladki Bahin Yojana during 2004-25. On the other hand, Maha Vikas Aghadi failed to create magic with its promise of Rs 4,000 aid.

MahaVikas Aghadi went on to criticise the state government over the rising fiscal deficit which was reported at Rs 2.30 lakh crore and public debt of over Rs 7.82 lakh crore cautioning that the state is heading for a major financial crisis.

However, it did not work in its favour as the women voters and the beneficiaries of other welfare and development schemes seem to have been convinced that the state government is in a position to mobilise necessary resources internally and also with the strong backing of the Centre.

–IANS

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Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Eknath Shinde has slammed the opposition for moving court against the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ and said that if the scheme was a crime, he was ready to go to jail. “I am ready to go to jail for the Ladki Bahin (beloved sisters),” he said after the inauguration of the office of the party nominee Vishwanath Bhoir from Kalyan West late Monday night.

The Chief Minister asked the women voters to support Shiv Sena and the MahaYuti for defeating the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which has been pressing for discontinuing the Ladki Bahin Yojana. “Dear sisters will get Rs 1,500 every month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. The opposition has been consistently advocating the closure of the Ladki Bahin Yojana. If they (the opposition) approach you (women voters) during the poll campaign, ask them why they are opposing the Ladki Bahin Yojana,” CM Shinde said. Further, the Chief Minister called upon the women to grill the opposition asking them why they went to court to stop the scheme. “This is the government of the common man. So whoever comes to you – the stepbrothers, rivals or opponents – show them their place for opposing the Ladki Bahin Yojana,” he advised.

He further claimed that those who will close down the Ladki Bahin Yojana and other welfare schemes will face a backlash. The Chief Minister said that Shiv Sena and MahaYuti were counting on a slew of development projects launched during the last two and half years. “Let the Maha Vikas Aghadi tell about the development works during its rule. We are ready to give our account. Is Maha Vikas Aghadi ready for this?” he asked. At another rally after the inauguration of the election office of the party nominee from Worli seat Milind Deora, the Chief Minister accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led government of putting speed breakers by stalling various development projects including the Mumbai Coastal Road, Aarey Metro car shed, Mumbai Metro 3, Atal Setu and park in Mahalakshmi Race Course.

“The MahaYuti removed all speed rakers and completed these projects. Had it not been done, then these projects would not have been completed in 15 years,” he claimed. He said that the MahaYuti government will work to bring back the Marathi Manoos, who were thrown out of Mumbai, to the metropolis.

He criticised the Shiv Sena-UBT for running a campaign that Mumbai will be separated from Maharashtra after the elections were over. “It won’t happen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the Centre’s desire for Mumbai to become a world-class city and a powerhouse. The double engine government means a double guarantee,” he said.

–IANS

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The Shiv Sena’s social media chief in Maharashtra, Rahul Kanal has urged Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to propose the name of Tata Sons’ Emeritus Chairman Padma Vibhushan Ratan Tata for the Bharat Ratna Award.

The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian honour bestowed by the Government of India. In a letter to the Chief Minister, Kanal said, “This acknowledgement would serve as a fitting tribute to a man who epitomised the values of kindness, integrity and selfless service to humanity. “Recognising Ratan Tata with this prestigious award would not only honour his legacy but also inspire countless others to follow in his footsteps and contribute positively to our nation’s socio-economic landscape.”

“Ratan Tata, was an illustrious figure in the Indian business sector, whose contributions have transcended beyond the corporate realm into the very fabric of our society. “He was not only a visionary leader but also a compassionate humanitarian. His philanthropic efforts towards the welfare of stray animals, providing shelter through his five star hotels across India, demonstrated his commitment to the voiceless members of our society. “Furthermore, his dedication to establishing cancer hospitals for the underprivileged showcased his unwavering belief in the right to health and dignity for all individuals, regardless and selfless service to humanity,” said Kanal.

He said that the recognition of such extraordinary individuals is essential for fostering a culture of philanthropy and compassion in our society.

–IANS

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On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed confidence that the Mahayuti (grand alliance) comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP will return to power after the forthcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra. However, he gave an ambitious target to the BJP workers to muster a grand victory for the party in the 2029 Assembly elections and form a solo BJP government in the state.

In his address at the interactive meeting with party functionaries at Dadar in north-central Mumbai, HM Shah said the Mahayuti government is certainly retaining power in Maharashtra. “Only governments that do good work win elections. We have formed the third government in a row at the Centre. No party has the strength to stop the Mahayuti from returning to power again in the state.”

HM Shah asked the party functionaries not to think of pre-poll surveys. His message to the party workers was to step up outreach with voters and increase the booth-wise voting percentage for the victory of Mahayuti in the state. “As there is a government, there will be resentment against it. Try to remove the resentment against the Corporators, Legislators and MPs. We need ten workers at each booth.”

From Dussehra till the end of the campaign, these activists will continue to move in their given booths. “Get like-minded voters to vote. Make at least 20 people BJP members at each booth. Do not ask for votes while making them party members. After becoming a member, they will automatically understand the importance of voting,” said HM Shah.

He asked the BJP workers to implement the election plan that the Maharashtra BJP will develop. “Deliver that plan at Mandal and Ward level. Victory will be yours,” he claimed. “For the first time in the last 60 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the record for consecutively forming the government for the third time. Maharashtra Assembly election is an election that will change the state and direction of the country, and the Mahayuti will win it,” Shah said. He further asked the party workers to increase voting by 10 per cent. “I rose from an activist to the post of National President. So I am very happy when I interact with workers. Some elections determine the direction of politics in this country. Speaking from my experience, the election of Maharashtra will change the direction and condition of the country’s politics. No political party has won in the past three times in a row,” said HM Shah.

He said that the BJP was not in power to merely rule but to work on ideology, adding that the party came to power to construct the Ram temple and scrap Article 370. “After winning the election in Maharashtra, the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in the country. No one can stop us from bringing the Uniform Civil Code if we come to power in Maharashtra,” HM Shah added.

He told party workers that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis could solve the problems in Maharashtra. “Terrorism and Naxalism were eliminated in the last ten years after the BJP came to power. Due to the leadership of PM Modi, the prestige of Indians worldwide has increased,” he opined.

“Despite the BJP winning only two seats in the Lok Sabha, no worker had left the party. This is our history. The activists of the 1980s knew that they were going to lose the elections but they did not care. We have come to build a great India in politics, not for the Prime Minister or any other post. Governments come and go. Parties leave policies and ideas. Our government lasted for ten years. But we have not given up thoughts or policies”, claimed HM Shah.

–IANS

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asserted in Nashik that the MahaYuti government will come back to power while asking the BJP functionaries to work in close coordination and unity with allies Shiv Sena and NCP and also bring the workers of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) into the party fold.

On his second-day visit to Maharashtra, Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the interactive meetings with the party functionaries in Nashik and Kolhapur. He encouraged them to demolish the opposition’s fake narratives as the country focused on the upcoming state Assembly election.

On Tuesday, the Home Minister addressed the meetings at Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and warned that the party will not tolerate rebellion, factionalism and dissent after announcing the party nominations. At the meeting in Nashik, HM Amit Shah reiterated that the MahaYuti, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, will contest the state Assembly election with full strength and with the sole objective of retaining power in Maharashtra.

“BJP is in power in 16 states with more seats than all others put together. BJP will come back to power with full majority in the coming assembly election,” he said. The senior BJP leader also added that India is on the way to becoming the third-largest economy in the world, adding that the opposition only wants to play politics.

“The Assembly election is quite crucial as it will change the face of Maharashtra. It is an ideological battle,” he said while asking the party functionaries to work hard for MahaYuti’s victory. “Once we win the election, we will cross 300 seats again in 2029,” HM Shah said.

Home Minister Amit Shah urged the party functionaries in Nashik to fight the assembly election with a resolve for a victory, thereby erasing the failure of winning fewer seats in the Lok Sabha elections. “An attempt is being made to break your confidence but neglect that to fight with full strength,” he said. The Home Minister took a dig at the opposition, saying that some contest elections to become Prime Minister or Chief Minister. However, he said that the BJP is contesting elections to build India. “Did anyone think that Article 370 will be abolished? Did anyone think that Ram Mandir will be built,” Shah said.

He further noted that it was possible as the BJP was in power at the Centre. He said the Waqf Board Act will be passed in the winter session. He strongly defended the Center’s policies to curb terrorism and naxal activities in the country, saying that Maoists and terrorists are counting their days. “There were attacks from terrorists and Pakistan. If anyone tampers with the border of the country, they will be beaten by entering their homes,” the Home Minister said. On Tuesday, the Home Minister had set an ambitious target of winning 45 of the total 62 seats in Vidarbha and 30 of the total 46 seats in Marathwada by MahaYuti in the Assembly election.

He asked the party functionaries to focus on increasing the voting by 10 per cent, especially by stepping up outreach with voters up to the booth level. Meanwhile, the Home Minister on Tuesday met the Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP national president and DCM Ajit Pawar at Sambhajinagar and discussed the MahaYuti’s seat-sharing arrangement for the assembly election. Shinde declined to divulge further details but said that the MahaYuti’s seat sharing will be announced soon.

–IANS

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In the first major fallout of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue crash at Rajkot Fort, the Maharashtra government has abruptly transferred the Sindhudurg Collector and surprisingly downgraded the post to a non-IAS junior administrative level category, raising eyebrows in different circles.

Accordingly, Sindhudurg Collector Kishor S. Tawade has been moved to an innocuous posting and replaced by Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd Managing Director Anil A. Patil.

The shunting orders came exactly a week after the 28-feet tall Chhatrapati figurine erected on a 10-feet high platform at Rajkot Fort in the picturesque Malvan seaside town, crashed down, ostensibly due to bad weather conditions.

Tawade will be the new Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation Ltd, in Pune, and Patil will be the new Sindhudurg Collector, which has a pristine 120-km long west coastline on the Arabian Sea. Both officers — Tawade and Patil — have been directed to take charge of their new assignments on top priority, as per the transfer orders issued late on Monday by the General Administration Department (GAD).

“The question is why such a prestigious post of Collector of Sindhudurg — a major coastal district bordering Goa state with strategic significance — has been suddenly downgraded to a non-IAS junior administrative level position,” constitutional expert, Barrister Vinod Tiwari told IANS. Tiwari said that though the government has the power to do it for 10 per cent of all the Collectorates in the state, the motives behind the Sindhudurg move at this sensitive juncture — when the Maharashtra Assembly elections looming ahead — are not clear.

It may be recalled that the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse on August 26 triggered a major public outrage and political furore, with possible repercussions for the MahaYuti government with Assembly elections around the corner. As the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), staged a series of aggressive protests across the state, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar apologised for the tragedy.

On August 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi—who was in Maharashtra for several engagements—surprised everyone by tendering a public apology with folded hands and a bowed head at a function in Palghar. The PM’s unexpected apology and glowing tributes to the Chhatrapati were interpreted as throwing a lifeline to the besieged MahaYuti state government of Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party.

Though the PM’s regrets for the incident somewhat punctured the Opposition’s agitations, the MVA leaders rejected it, contending “it was conditional and casual”. They continued their aggressive protests in different parts of the state. Meanwhile, the sculptor Jaydeep Apte — who created the ill-fated statue inaugurated by the PM on December 4, 2023, during the Navy Day celebrations — is still absconding. Sindhudurg Police have arrested his associate and structural consultant, Chetan Patil.

This story is based on an IANS wire feed.

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The ruling Eknath Shinde faction of Maharastra’s Shiv Sena, received endorsement and validation from the late founder, Bal Thacker family.

Bal Thackeray’s elder son and other Thakarey family members shared the Dussera stage with current Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Eknath Shinde.

Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, younger son of Bal Thackarey, the recently ousted Chief Minister of a Shiv Sena coalition in Maharashtra, was no doubt disappointed.

His Shiv Sena led government which was in a coalition with the Congress and the NCP, fell to a strategic coup from within his party, in alleged protest against a coalition made up of ideologically different partners .

An annual Dussera meeting and celebration has been a Shiv Sena tradition since Bal Thackeray’s times.

This year’s feature was expected to be unique, in that, the party’s two rival factions were both expected to hold it.

In the end, Mr. Eknath Shinde who heads the current government with the support of the BJP in the state, may have tipped the scales in his favor, when he talked about aligning with ideologically similar parties and not betraying the Shiv Sena’s core voter base of Hindutva supporters.

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Most of us including me were expecting Devendra Fadnavis to become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra but BJP being BJP took a very different and unthinkable route. Eknath Shinde became the Chief Minister and we were told first that Fadnavis will not be in the government at all. Suddenly, things again changed with BJP National President JP Nadda appealing to Devendra Fadnavis to be a part of the government and within a half hour or so, Devendra Fadnavis swore in as the Deputy CM.

This was like a political thriller movie with lot of twists and turns where the director threw the audience off with an unexpected climax at the very end. This story started with the hero, Devendra Fadnavis, being unceremoniously ousted from his house by his partner who betrays him and join hands with two others. He vows to come back and patiently works towards to it. A day finally comes when he ousts the three people from his house using saam, daam, dhand, bhed and takes his revenge. When the audience expects him to take over the house, he surprisingly gives it to someone else. The whole village hails the hero and everyone lives happily ever after.

On a more serious note, if we have to look deep into these events, we will realize the super political acumen that the BJP top brass has. Only a selected few knew the plan and executed it to the tee along with Eknath Shinde. The million dollar question is why Fadnavis was not made the CM immediately. There seems to be a strategy behind it. By giving Eknath Shinde the CM post, BJP has shown the Marathi manus that it cares for Maharashtra more than their party interests. It has shown that it will do what is right and is not power hungry. With this one action, BJP won the hearts of the Shiv Sainiks. It has almost made the elite families, Thackerays irrelevant, Gandhis a non-entity and Pawars powerless striking a death blow to parivarvaad in Maharashtra.

The internal Shiv Sena power struggle will be sorted between themselves and Eknath Shinde now has the power to sort that out. With a Shiv Sainik as CM now, Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut can’t do any politics around that. This will greatly help BJP in the upcoming BMC and Lok Sabha elections. The other parties will struggle to put across a stronger narrative that will influence the voters. Deputy CM Fadnavis can still influence the government decisions so that they are in line with the Central Government. It will be almost a double engine Sarkar in Maharashtra.

Internally within Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray will have the role of just a brand ambassador as the real power will be with Eknath Shinde. Uddhav Thackeray will no more have the followers he had in Shiv Sena although he will continue to have sympathizers outside the party including some Bollywood actors. Eknath Shinde will give him all the respect that he deserves as the son of the great Sri Balasaheb Thackeray.  The legacy of Balasaheb will continue and Shiv Sena will continue.

Devendra Fadnavis would have personally wanted to come back as CM but a professional that he is, he understood the strategy of his party and graciously agreed to become the Deputy. With this move, a point will come in Maharashtra politics where BJP will on its own get a majority in the Assembly and can form its own government without depending on anyone although Shinde Sena will continue to give their support. Fadnavis will eventually get his due or if things don’t pan out as expected, the party will give him a plum post at the centre given his proven skillsets as a next generation leader in BJP. The only thing that BJP could have avoided is the public appeal to Devendra Fadnavis to become the Deputy CM which is so much not like BJP who don’t issue internal appeals in public but they might have done it just to further strengthen Devendra Fadnavis’s image as a selfless leader who only looks at Maharashtra’s interests and the interests of the party. It was still avoidable.

BJP has done a ‘Swacch Maharashtra Abhiyaan’ of sorts and have emerged decisive winners. This is also a great turning point in Maharashtra politics with an auto driver becoming a CM that will inspire youngsters to aspire for great heights by working hard to serve the people of Maharashtra.  Politics will never be the same in Maharashtra. Very importantly, Maharashtra has won!

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Eknath Shinde, a staunch Shiv Sainik, is a self-made man and does not hail from any big political family. It is told that he was once upon a time an auto driver and has worked his way up in Shiv Sena through sheer hard work and commitment. He is in the news now as most of the Shiv Sena MLAs are supporting him against Uddhav Thackeray, the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra who inherited the party leadership role from his illustrious father and the Maratha Hriday Samrat, Sri Balasaheb Thackeray. This tradition was set to continue with Aditya Thackeray being groomed as the next natural leader of the party being Uddhav Thackeray’s son.

Everything turned upside down when Eknath Shinde rebelled against the way the party was being steered away from their core Hindutva ideology of his guru Balasaheb, partnering with unnatural allies like the NCP and Congress, ditching BJP that helped them win good number of seats. Eknath Shinde was not ready to keep flowing with the tide in order to avoid embarrassment to the first family of the party. Now, it has come to a point that Uddhav Thackeray and his family members might have to step aside and give way to the more deserving.

Given this backdrop, why am I saying that Eknath Shinde is going to inspire the end of dynastic politics in India? This is a warning bell to the all the family run parties today. By dynasty politics I mean a structure wherein a party is run by one family alone and not some Minister’s son getting a well-deserved party post. Let me get into details taking example of some prominent family run parties in India.

Congress is going through a very similar phase wherein the siblings of the older stalwarts of the family are proving to be ineffective for the growth of the party. The party has been going down and down and is very weak today thanks to leadership that got its position in the party as an inheritance. The so called G23 tried to do something like what Eknath Shinde did but lacked the confidence and will. I see a paradigm shift after the Shiv Sena episode. Eknath Shinde would have forced several talented leaders in the party to introspect. Congress top brass will be having some sleepless nights now.

DMK party in Tamil Nadu is another family run party that is structured similar to Shiv Sena with some more complications. Mr. Stalin seems to be influenced by a few of his family members like his son, his son-in-law and his wife. The second layer of leadership are some key families again that want to continue their legacy through their siblings who automatically get key posts in their respective geographies. A time might come when DMK will also go through a struggle similar to the Shiv Sena when some deserving party worker will assert himself or herself, challenge the scions of the first family like Eknath Shinde did and will take over the reins.

TRS in Telangana is another party which seems to be run by one family. TMC in West Bengal also seems to be influenced by a family. In Bihar too, the Lalu Yadav family is ruling the roost. NCP is again another party that will not be able to sustain its parivarvaad and will have to transform sometime soon.

Eknath Shinde might have made these first families quite nervous and rightly so. His standing up against his party’s first family so strongly might indirectly be a warning to all the family run parties today. The message is loud and clear. Reorganize your party to a merit and cadre based democratic party while you have the time, else today or tomorrow your family will be shoved aside by more deserving candidates in your party. It will not matter whose son or daughter you are. Party interests will supersede family interests. Indian polity’s patience on parivarvaad is running out quickly!

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