Big brother BJP’s signal to allies

The BJP asserted dominance over allies Shinde's Sena and Pawar's NCP, signaling a shift in power dynamics as Fadnavis returns as chief minister

In the fortnight between the assembly election results and the swearing-in of the new chief minister, the BJP sent a clear signal to its allies —Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP— that the party was the big brother in the alliance.

The BJP has sent a clear message to its allies that it is the dominant party in the coalition. (ANI)

After the results, then chief minister Shinde had wanted to retain his job, and Pawar too was keen to get a bigger share of power. However, after union home minister Amit Shah met the duo and Fadnavis in Delhi where the broad structure of the government was discussed, none of the top leaders of the party entertained the duo even though both wanted to have a word with top bosses in Delhi. Two days before the swearing-in, Pawar even reached Delhi apparently seeking a meeting with Shah but to no avail. Both were told to coordinate with Fadnavis and sort out whatever disputes they have in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, as he gave interviews to some television channels last week, Fadnavis stressed the point that Mahayuti registered a landslide victory due to BJP’s Hindutva push. While Shinde has been insisting that the Ladki Bahin Yojna was a game changer, Fadnavis said it was one of the factors that prepared the base for Mahayuti’s victory. His overture to Raj Thackeray’s MNS that the party could be an ally in the civic elections is also a clear signal to Shinde that BJP has options. Leaders from the Mahayuti consider this as a signal to allies that the BJP will not compromise on certain issues. It is also a sign that Fadnavis’s tenure will be different than the last two and a half years when BJP played second fiddle to its allies.

Did BJP keep plan B ready?

While Shinde was insisting on the home portfolio and not confirming whether he would join the government, BJP leaders had reached out to some of his MLAs. During his first tenure as chief minister, Fadnavis had maintained good relations with several legislators and ministers of then undivided Shiv Sena. A few of them are now senior leaders of Shinde’s Sena and have always been in touch with him. “If needed, it would not have been difficult for us to get them on our side,” said a close aide of the chief minister. “However, we did not want to take extreme steps since we value Shinde for helping us pull down the MVA government. Therefore, we waited patiently,” he said.

Breaking the dy CM jinx

As he returns as chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis managed to break a jinx in Maharashtra politics: No deputy chief minister had managed to become chief minister before him. There were several deputy chief ministers who wanted to climb a step further but could not fulfil their ambition—late Gopinath Munde, Chhagan Bhujbal, late R R Patil and Ajit Pawar. When Fadnavis took up the job in 2022, it was being said he would join the club of such deputy CMs. He has now proved to be an exception and managed to break the jinx. His elevation, has probably revived the hopes of another deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, who still harbours dreams of the top job.

Somaiya then and now

As a Delhi tribunal on benami properties released Ajit Pawar and his family’s properties in Mumbai, Delhi and Goa, mediapersons wanted the reaction of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya who alleged in 2021 that Pawar had benami properties of over ₹1,000 crore. Soon after Somaiya’s allegations, Pawar’s properties were attached by the Income Tax department. In 2023, Ajit Pawar split the NCP and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra. On Thursday, he got relief from the tribunal which ruled that the properties were not benami. When mediapersons finally caught up with Somaiya, he shrugged, “The court’s decision is final. We respect the court.”

Sagar bungalow in demand

Sagar bungalow on Malabar Hill was never considered as one of the most sought after government bungalows among ministers. While Varsha bungalow is the official residence of the chief minister, the bungalows known as top choices were Ramtek at Malabar Hill which has a seafront, Royalstone which is a colonial bungalow off Peddar Road as well as other bungalows at Malabar Hill such as Devgiri and Agradoot. However, the relatively smaller Sagar is now in demand as two occupants of the bungalow have become chief minister. First it was Ashok Chavan who was industries minister when he became chief minister in 2008. Now it is Fadnavis. The word is that Shinde, who will be vacating Varsha, now wants Sagar.