West Bengal, Tamil Nadu poll results boost morale of MVA

Assembly election results in five states, especially in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, have given a boost to regional parties after Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and MK Stalin’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) emerged as undoubted winners in their respective states

Assembly election results in five states, especially in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, have given a boost to regional parties after Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and MK Stalin’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) emerged as undoubted winners in their respective states. Experts and observers believe that this has given a moral boost to Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which comprises of two regional parties and has always been under the threat of getting dislodged.

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Leader of Opposition and former chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis had, during his campaign rally for Pandharpur bypolls, said that bringing a change in the state leadership was his responsibility and that the steps for the same would be taken at appropriate time. Other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had also been hinting that West Bengal election result would add momentum to a change in the reign in Maharashtra. The leaders had said the focus of the party’s central leadership would shift to Maharashtra after the results.

MVA, comprising of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, formed government in Maharashtra in November 2019 after the alliance between the Sena and BJP was broken.

Leaders from the three ruling parties in the state believe that the victory of the two regional parties in those states has given buoyancy to MVA government in the state. “Leaders from NCP and Sena share good relations with both Banerjee and Stalin and his family members. Both the parties had given open support to Banerjee in the Assembly polls by not contesting the elections. (NCP chief Sharad) Pawar saheb had planned to hold campaign rallies for TMC candidates in West Bengal, but could not go due to his health problems. Banerjee’s victory gives more power to regional parties while fighting against the mammoth strength of BJP,” said a Sena leader.

“It has been proved by today’s results that if you have the courage and desire to fight against communal forces, people stand with you. We had exercised it in Maharashtra in 2019 and later replicated elsewhere at regional levels,” said NCP spokesperson and state minister Nawab Malik.

On August 26 last year, during the meeting of chief ministers of all non-BJP ruled states with Congress’s interim president Sonia Gandhi, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had praised Mamata Banerjee for her fight against the Centre. He had also said all non-BJP parties should come together and fight unitedly to ensure that their voice was not suppressed (by the BJP and the Central government led by it) in the federal structure of the democracy. “It is time to decide whether to fight back or seat idle out of fear,” he had said.

Later in December, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had floated the idea of strengthening the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to create a combative combine that could fight the BJP. In an interview with a local newspaper he had also said that the front and Congress should extend its support to regional leaders like TMC in their respective states by keeping differences aside.

After West Bengal poll results, Pawar tweeted, “Congratulations @MamataOfficial on your stupendous victory! Let us continue our work towards the welfare of people and tackling the pandemic collectively.”

Reacting to the controversial Nandigram constituency results, Pawar tweeted, “The voters of Bengal have overwhelmingly supported Mamata and endorsed her for a third term. This result has to be accepted with a large heart. But the manner in which attempts are being made to revoke her win can only be called pettiness.”

Leaders from Maharashtra feel that the ‘Maharashtra model’ of fighting out the BJP aggression has given strength to smaller parties at regional level. “RJD’s Yashaswi Yadav gave run to ruling JD(U) and BJP for their money in Assembly polls last year. Now, TMC and DMK have replicated it in their respective states. If any leader of regional parties like Mamata emerges as national leader against Narendra Modi, it will give more power to regional parties to fight against BJP’s political power,” a Congress leader said requesting anonymity.

Political analyst Hemant Desai said after the setback in West Bengal, the BJP would not go for any attempt of toppling the Maharashtra government at least in immediate future. “BJP is a party which senses the waves very quickly. It has realised that using central agencies against regional parties boomerangs against them, and same may be witnessed in Maharashtra in probes by CBI and NIA. The BJP will resort to course correction in Maharashtra and would not go for any attempt to dislodge the government. But at the same time, the NCP or Sena too should take a firm stand and show courage to fight against BJP, like Mamata did,” he said.

Fadnavis on Sunday said they would take steps against MVA at appropriate time. “This is the time to fight against Covid-19 pandemic and we are devoting our time for it. But yes, we will take steps (to dislodge the government) at appropriate time,” he said.

Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said if the BJP tried to topple the government in Maharashtra, its tremors will be felt at the national level.

While the MVA partners are elated with the result of elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, closer home they received a setback with the defeat of MVA candidate and NCP leader Bhagirath Bhalke in Pandharpur bypolls. BJP’s Samadhan Autade defeated Bhalke by 3,733 votes. The defeat was more significant for MVA as it was a battle of three ruling parties against the BJP. It has also given a boost to the BJP in Maharashtra.

NCP state chief Jayant Patil said, “Our candidate lost the seat by a narrow margin. We failed in proper coordination of workers and leaders in two tehsils, Pandharpur and Mangalvedha, and it resulted in the defeat.”

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, “We accept the mandate given by the electorate very politely. The defeat of the MVA candidate was a result of local issues and unpaid bills to farmers by Vitthal sugar factory.”

Fadnavis said, “The mandate is against the corrupt, failed governance of the MVA government. Voters are upset as the government could not extend them any help during Covid-19 pandemic, electricity connections were rampantly disconnected for non-payment of bills. The ruling parties resorted to ill practices, despite of which the electorate stood by us.”