Desertions likely from MVA camp in Maharashtra

Shiv Sena, NCP explore NDA ties, leaving Congress as Maharashtra’s main opposition force.

New Delhi: The two major regional parties, Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar, who are currently part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc with the Congress, and are constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, are talking to their splintered factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, respectively, so that they can join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), say sources.

According to party insiders, Sharad Pawar is talking to the BJP about a cabinet berth for his daughter Supriya Sule at the Centre, but the BJP is unwilling to give her anything more than a Minister of State (MoS) (independent charge) post. The Thackeray group may get positions in the state cabinet.

A person privy to the developments said, “Devendra Fadnavis wants Uddhav to join the NDA. He is the one who may have initiated the outreach to the Thackerays. If Uddhav wants to, he will join the NDA. The ruling party at the Centre is also okay with it because this bolsters their numbers.”

Sharad Pawar’s group currently has 4 Members of Parliament, while the Thackeray group has 8, equalling 12 MPs.

A political analyst tracking national politics said, “When one gets heart broken, one doesn’t know what to do, Uddhav Thackeray has been close to power for decades and now he may not be wanting to see himself out of power for another five years. That is the story in short. For Sharad Pawar it has always been about being close to power.”

With this, the Congress party in Maharashtra may become the only opposition in the state. The political analyst said, “This can prove to be a blessing for the Congress, if we see it in the grand scheme of things. If Congress can build upon it, it can become a major force in the next assembly elections—bigger than all the regional parties.”

The lack of coordination and breakdown in relations in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi camp, according to leaders, was confirmed when Sharad Pawar signalled that his party would contest the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls alone, days after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) took a similar decision to contest the local body elections on its own.