Maharashtra: Who will win the war of Vidarbha leaders?
A day after the results on Sunday indicated that the BJP would form the next government in Maharashtra, newspapers in Mumbai flashed the young state party chief Devendra Fadnavis on its front pages as the next probable occupant of Varsha, the official residence of the Maharashtra chief minister. Barely three days later, a group of 39 BJP legislators rushed to Nitin Gadkari’s residence in Nagpur’s Mahal area to declare their support for the Union minister as the state’s new CM. Within less than a week, even as the party is cobbling up the numbers to reach the halfway mark in the state Assembly, the cracks within the BJP are showing. Even as Gadkari publicly dismisses these demands claiming he doesn’t want to leave his cabinet berth at the Centre, there are rumours within the party that the man famously credited with being the force behind Mumbai’s flyovers during the Shiv Sena-BJP government between 1995 and 1999, will take over as the leader of the state once again. “Both sides want their leader to be the CM,” says a BJP worker.
On October 15 night, as soon as the exit polls results started flashing on news channels, sections within the party hinted at Fadnavis being chosen for the top job. Interestingly, Congress circles were abuzz with rumours that the sixth floor chamber in Mantralaya — the CM’s office — would be Gadkari’s. Congress veterans probably had read the mood in the party better. “It’s a turf war between the two leaders, both from Vidarbha,” says a Congress MLA.
The silent war came out in the open yesterday when 39 BJP legislators from the state met Gadkari in Nagpur and urged him to accept the top job, of course, if and when, it was offered to him. With slogans like "Maharashtra ka mukhya mantri kaisa ho, Nitin Gadkari jaisa ho", they made their choice obvious to the party leadership in Delhi. Even senior leader from Vidarbha Sudhir Mungantiwar openly voiced his support for the senior leader from Vidarbha. The Gadkari "camp" reportedly wasn’t too pleased with Fadnavis being hailed as the next CM. “Gadkari has years of administrative experience and political acumen to deal with difficult partners, in case the Sena joins the government or the NCP offers outside support. He also has good relations with Sharad Pawar,” says a BJP worker.
A few days ago, there were rumours of young MLA Pankaja Munde being considered for the CM’s job, a demand that was raised by her supporters to have the first woman CM of the state.
The party bosses, however, have kept their state leaders guessing. The decision on the next CM is expected to come only after Diwali. With numerous names doing the rounds and various factions demanding the CM’s chair for their leader, it won’t be a surprise if a dark horse emerges as the frontrunner. For now, all CM hopefuls are celebrating the festival with just a hint of anxiety.