The political changes that took place in Maharashtra on Sunday have not only changed the power equations there but will also have an impact on politics beyond that state. The swearing-in of Ajit Pawar as a Deputy Chief Minister and eight other NCP MLAs as ministers in the Eknath Shinde government has meant a major split in Sharad Pawar’s party and a consolidation of the BJP-Sena alliance.
Ajit Pawar’s defection is no surprise. His keenness to join the BJP-led alliance was known and even after his three-day dalliance with the BJP in 2019 failed, there was no doubt about where his loyalties and aspirations lay. The pressure from the Enforcement Directorate over corruption cases also must have weighed on him, just as it has worked on his co-defectors. Every one of them has cases against them and could now expect to be washed clean.
The Shinde-Fadnavis government has also insured itself with support from the rebel NCP faction because it faces the threat of disqualification of 16 of its MLAs. There will also be a legal threat to the defecting NCP MLAs but that is in the future. A majority of the NCP MLAs have joined Ajit Pawar, and one question that has arisen is about Sharad Pawar’s role. Some of his most trusted supporters have gone with Ajit Pawar and that has given rise to doubts whether the rebellion was with his knowledge or even tacit support.
But Pawar has strongly denied it and has vowed to fight the new ruling alliance. There is a view that it was his appointment of his daughter Supriya Sule as the party’s working president that prompted senior leaders to depart. But it cannot be denied that a section of the party, led by Ajit Pawar, would in any case have landed in the BJP’s kitty, goaded by politics or coerced by the action by ED and other agencies.
Unprincipled defections, wholesale shift of parties, and purchase and blackmailing of MLAs make democracy poor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last week called the NCP leaders corrupt, but within a few days, those very “corrupt” leaders have been admitted into the coalition led by his party. The Prime Minister must explain this to the nation.
The Maharashtra development will likely impact the efforts to create an Opposition platform against the BJP for the 2024 general elections. The opposition parties’ Bengaluru meeting has now been postponed.
In the case of Maharashtra, it should be noted that the Opposition space in the state and the room for anti-incumbency sentiment still remain even after the defection of NCP MLAs to the government. The question is whether the Congress or Sharad Pawar’s NCP can make full use of it.