BJP: A party hegemonic to opponents and allies?

The reason why the Sena decided to dump its pre-poll ally after the 2019 assembly elections was that it wanted the chief ministership for itself. This would have entailed unseating the incumbent BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The immediate trigger behind the political storm in Maharashtra may well be the unexpected victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in the recently held Rajya Sabha and legislative council polls. However, it is increasingly becoming clear that the seeds of this political drama were sown the day Shiv Sena decided to enter into an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). It contested the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections in an alliance with the BJP. The reason

The fact that Uddhav Thackeray has repeatedly reiterated the centrality of Hindutva to the Sena is clear proof that the BJP’s line of attack has a resonance in the Sena’s rank and file. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)