How 'surreal' political developments in Maharashtra stunned the nation

Follow us on

"Politics is like football, if you see daylight, go through the hole" -- Former US President John F Kennedy had once famously said about politics. This fits most appropriately in Maharashtra's current political situation. Until Friday, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray seemed odds on to become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra but what happened hours later shook the political circles - when visuals of Devendra Fadnavis being sworn in as CM flashed across television channels on Saturday morning, and standing by him was Ajit Pawar of the NCP.

That's politics for you. Time and again, BJP has proved that as far as political manoeuvrability goes, the party is on another playing field altogether than the rest. Also, the tables have definitely turned in Maharashtra politics. 

The Status Quo

Politics in Maharashtra was at a deadlock after the results of the assembly polls 2019. The BJP, who emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats couldn't harness enough to cross the halfway mark (144). The Pre-poll saffron alliance of BJP-Shiv Sena(56 seats) had a clear mandate with 105 + 56 = 161 seats. The drama started when the Shiv Sena demanded that the BJP share the CM post with Sena for a period of two and a half years each. The BJP, however, refused. This started a political tug of war which left Maharashtra without a CM for almost a month. 

After days of negotiations, it seemed like the 'Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress' alliance which once looked unlikely, had suddenly become a probability. It looked like the three parties were close to reaching an agreement where Uddhav Thackeray would become the CM and the sharing of ministries would see the parties getting 16, 14 and 12 ministries respectively. 

Also Read | Maharashtra's 'Game of Thrones' leaves netizens amused: Twitter Reactions

The Shock and Awe Moment

In an extraordinary turn of events, on Saturday morning, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Maharashtra CM with the most unlikely partner in Ajit Pawar, the nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. This came as a shock since Ajit Pawar was present in the Sena-NCP-Congress meeting that took place on Friday where the terms of the alliance were apparently finalised. 

Ajit Pawar along with the NCP MLAs went to the Raj Bhawan on Saturday morning and gave a letter of support to the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in Maharashtra.

This move by Pawar wronged all political permutations and combinations that were being run in Maharashtra until a day ago. A strong response came from the Shiv Sena and the NCP who targetted BJP and the rebel NCP MLAs.

In a joint press conference where senior leaders of the NCP and the Shiv Sena were present, Sharad Pawar said that NCP had the numbers and only a handful of MLAs had defected to the BJP. He also reminded the MLAs of the anti-defection law. 

Also Read | Meet Ajit Pawar - The man who helped BJP turn the tide

Conspiracy Theories

As expected, the conspiracy theories started doing rounds after the unexpected swearing-in. Sena leader Sanjay Raut claimed that Ajit Pawar was blackmailed into joining hands with the BJP. 

"NCP leader Dhananjay Munde has been contacted. Ajit Pawar may also return (to NCP fold). We have information how Ajit Pawar has been blackmailed and will expose this soon," Raut told reporters.

Ajit Pawar sacked as legislative party chief 

Around 08:00 pm on Saturday, after a long meeting of the NCP MLAs, it was decided that Ajit Pawar will be removed as the NCP legislative party chief. Jayant Patil will be the new legislative party chief of the NCP. The governor will now have a decision to make as to what is to be done with the Ajit Pawar's letter of support to the BJP now that Pawar no longer holds his position as the NCP legislative party chief. 

Governor gives BJP time till November 30 to prove majority on the floor of the house

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has given BJP time till November 30 to prove their majority on the floor of the house. This decision was taken in the wake of the letter written by Ajit Pawar in his capacity as the leader of the NCP legislative party. Now that the party has removed him from the post, it remains to be seen how this affects the Governor's decision. It also has to be seen if the NCP is successful in getting their MLAs back who defected with Ajit Pawar.

Also Read | Maharashtra: Shahapur NCP MLA goes 'missing', police complaint filed