The challenge in Maharashtra | HT Editorial

Power-sharing and ideological differences will be two big issues

After a month-long political churn, Uddhav Thackeray has formally taken over as Maharashtra’s chief minister. While the Shiv Sena had chief ministers in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 1990s, this is the first time a Thackeray himself is leading the government. It is also the first time that the Sena has come together with its arch rivals, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, relegating the BJP to the Opposition.

The voters of Maharashtra did not vote for this particular combination to come to power. If it wants to win popular legitimacy, it will have to deliver (REUTERS)

All of this makes Mr Thackeray’s task formidable. There are two issues in particular which will pose a challenge. The first, as in any coalition government, is power sharing. While the three partners have arrived at a broad deal, questions about the exercise of power will be a constant theme. Who will take the big political decisions? Will it be the CM or will it be Sharad Pawar, considered the architect of the alliance? What role and voice will the Congress leadership have? Governance, in a democracy like India, often becomes about patronage and maintaining a social equilibrium. Which party will benefit the most from being in power? What happens when there is a conflict over resources? Which castes will have a greater say? Will the focus be on Mumbai or rural Maharashtra? Will decisions be in favour of industry or will there be a stronger tilt towards agriculture? These issues will crop up every day in various forms, and, unless Mr Thackeray and Mr Pawar are able to evolve an excellent working relationship, glitches will emerge.

The second issue is ideological. While the common minimum programme of the alliance mentions its commitment to secularism, it will have to be seen whether the Sena has indeed moved from its Hindutva worldview, or whether the NCP and Congress have moved to a more majoritarian outlook in practice. From the National Register of Citizens and citizenship amendment bill to Hindu-Muslim relations on the ground, several issues can bring the partners into conflict. In addition, will the Sena drop its emphasis on prioritising locals, or will the Congress make peace with it? Can the Congress afford to do so, given its national footprint? The answers to these questions are not clear right now. The government has the numbers and is constitutionally legitimate. But it must always remember that the voters of Maharashtra did not vote for this particular combination to come to power. If it wants to win popular legitimacy, it will have to deliver.