What Amit Shah's Pawar play in Maharashtra tells us
Along with Diwali folklore, another story that’s doing the rounds in Maharashtra is how the BJP president Amit Shah once snatched most of the cooperatives from the Congress’ stranglehold in Gujarat. He could replicate that in Maharashtra is the refrain that’s giving parties like the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress the jitters in the state after losing the Assembly elections last weekend.
The NCP controls approximately 60 per cent of the cooperatives in the state — a key source of its clout in rural areas. Cooperatives, be it sugar, dairy or banks, are a great influence on local rural politics in Maharashtra. They control the purse strings and can sway a large number of votes in favour of a party or candidate. Political observers feel that the desire, and more importantly, the need to retain its hold over cooperatives is what prompted NCP chief Sharad Pawar to offer outside “unconditional” support to the BJP to form the next government in the state.
By instantly offering to support the BJP which is 12 MLAs short of the halfway mark, Sharad Pawar positioned himself as the go-to regional leader in the state, sidelining Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP’s former ally, within hours after the results. The Shiv Sena’s “unreasonable demands” as certain BJP leaders described them, further distanced the party from the BJP, allowing Pawar to find space to sneak in as a potential outside support to the BJP government.
Pawar’s unusual offer will impact the NCP in several ways. Firstly, it will help Pawar sideline and considerably reduce the Shiv Sena’s strength and popularity. NCP workers point out that the party will “become the most prominent regional player” by supporting the state government. He also hopes to weaken the Sena, which might see members defecting to the BJP, unwilling to sit in the opposition for another five years, especially when victory was so close.
Pawar’s plans will also ensure a government that is sympathetic to the NCP, a party which has faced the people’s ire for corruption and mismanagement of various portfolios in the past 15 years. A positive approach by the ruling party is likely to help Pawar’s MLAs get development works sanctioned in their constituencies thereby ensuring that local leaders don’t lose the support of their constituents. Another fear that’s looming large over the NCP is the possible action on various big ticket scams, especially the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam, in a department that was controlled by the NCP. Pawar could well be hoping to avoid any investigations by the new government.
If the gamble works, Pawar, despite having just 41 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, can slide into the space created by the Sena, which will lose further ground if it stays out of power for the next term. As he celebrates his 75th birthday, Sharad Pawar is set to prove that he is Maharashtra’s eternal phoenix who rises and soars just when his critics are set to write off his party.