MVA’s Halla Bol morcha sends out message of united front

With the Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India, Peasants and Workers Party, Janata Dal and other smaller opposition parties actively participating in the protest march, the MVA is now planning to put up a broad opposition coalition against the Balsahebanchi Shiv Sena-BJP government

Mumbai: Although it failed to bring in 100,000 people like it had said it would, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) did succeed in putting up a united face during the Halla Bol morcha on Saturday in Mumbai. The three-party coalition also sought to send out a message that it had regrouped to counter the ruling alliance.

Mumbai, India - December 17, 2022: Massive crowd of Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) workers and supporters stage 'Halla Bol' protest march against the Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis-led state government in Maharashtra, joined party leader Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Nana Patole and Ajit Pawar, in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, December 17, 2022. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

With the Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India, Peasants and Workers Party, Janata Dal and other smaller opposition parties actively participating in the protest march, the MVA is now planning to put up a broad opposition coalition against the Balsahebanchi Shiv Sena-BJP government.

A senior MVA leader said that in the last few months, the ruling alliance had been struggling to contain the damage caused by a series of controversies. “We sensed that they could lose voters’ support if their failures were highlighted,” he said. “Saturday’s protest march was the first step towards that. By putting up a unified front, the message went out to people that a better alternative to the BSS-BJP is ready. And they will remember this when they vote in the civic and district polls early next year.”

Prakash Reddy, CPI leader, said the morcha on Saturday was the beginning of the united fight against the BJP’s “anti-constitutional and anti-farmer-worker activities”. “We participated to show our solidarity with the parties who have been fighting against the BJP and RSS,” he said. “Our party was at the forefront of the Samayukta Maharashtra movement decades ago and we believe it is time to again fight these anti-Maharashtra parties. We would definitely like to fight the forthcoming elections together to keep the BJP at bay.”

Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party MLA, averred that the BJP always benefitted from the division in the secular vote. “There is no doubt that if all like-minded parties believing in secular values come together, defeating the BJP is not a big challenge,” he said. “However, bringing them together is the big task before the MVA leadership.”

A question being asked is: will the unity of the MVA last? Even in Saturday’s morcha, the three parties could have managed to draw more crowds but failed to do so. Most of the participants seemed to be from the Shiv Sena.

A senior Congress leader admitted that not all the key MVA leaders had put in their full efforts to pull in crowds for the morcha. “Nobody can say with certainty that the unity will last, once the ticket-sharing and power-sharing talks begin,” he said.

“The Opposition has no option but to put up a united face, but the question is if they will do it successfully,” said political analyst Hemant Desai. “They could not pull the crowd in in full strength for today’s morcha, as collective efforts were lacking. The three major parties in the MVA will have to have solid strategies and major efforts to pose a collective challenge to the BJP. Otherwise, a split in the Opposition plays in favour of the BJP, as seen in the Gujarat elections.”