‘Compromise’ on lips, Opposition tie-up as ‘example’, BJP, allies look to avoid errors in state polls

Fellow Deputy CM and NCP leader Ajit Pawar also emphasised the need for unity. “All three ruling party leaders and workers should avoid disputes,” he said. “The Mahayuti government has initiated some bold decisions to empower women, youths and farmers, which need to be aggressively communicated to the common people … Workers should leave seat division to top leaders. Some give and take is part of the process.”

Pawar’s reference was to the struggles of the alliance to finalise seat-sharing in the lead-up to the parliamentary elections. This tussle over seat sharing affected candidates’ decision-making, hampered coordination on the ground, and affected vote transfer. After the elections, the differences between the allies were out in the open as all three blamed each other for the failure. Criticising the BJP’s internal surveys, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat said, “Had they not forced us to change candidates we would have won more seats.”

RSS-linked journal Organiser also published an article questioning the BJP’s decision to ally with Pawar who faces allegations of corruption. The article echoed the sentiment among a large section of BJP karyakartas, while the NCP cadre felt let down by both the allies. Alliance insiders said perfect coordination remains the biggest challenge going forward.

With the Assembly elections a few months away, the Mahayuti cannot afford its prospects being damaged by a lack of unity. A senior BJP functionary said on the condition of anonymity, “There are 288 seats. At present, the BJP has 105 MLAs, the Shiv Sena 39, and the NCP 41 MLAs. Together they make up for 185. The remaining 103 seats will have to be divided amongst three parties. So, some tug of war between three parties to strike a hard bargain is natural.”

A Shiv Sena leader said despite the top leaders’ statements, there will be differences over seat-sharing. “I don’t think we will settle for less than 90 seats.” While NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal earlier said the party should not get less than 90 seats, the BJP’s poll managers believe that by conservative estimates they should have 140 to 145 seats.

“Whether it is the three-party alliance or in-house BJP challenges, everything will be tackled professionally,” said a BJP insider, pointing out that Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, known as a hard taskmaster, monitoring the Assembly poll campaign. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said, “Unlike in the past polls, now we are thinking of collective leadership and responsibilities in the Mahayuti.”

Among the other factors that the BJP and its allies will look to resolve before the Assembly elections approach are the drift in the Dalit votes — a major problem for the BJP in other parts of India too, such as UP — the Maratha versus OBC factor, and agrarian unrest. In areas of Maharashtra such as Vidarbha, Marathwada, and north Maharashtra where the BJP is strong, distress among farmers over issues such as the drop in prices of crops, the failure of the government to provide immediate relief, and onion export ban are likely to have played a role in the alliance suffering a setback.

Pawar admitted that the onion export ban blew up on the Mahayuti’s face, telling the conclave on Saturday, “In the Lok Sabha polls, the Centre’s decision to ban onion exports led to massive unrest among farmers. And we paid a huge price. I urge the Centre to not take such decisions. Nor import milk powder. Our government is committed to farmers’ well-being.”

By presenting a populist budget last month, Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio, has attempted to offset some of this unrest. A financial allocation of Rs 46,000 crore for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a monthly allowance of Rs 1500 to eligible women beneficiaries, free power to 44 lakh farmers, and Rs 10,000 monthly stipend to 10 lakh youths for apprenticeship in industrial and non-industrial training annually are among the steps that the government has taken to help the coalition regain some of the lost ground. In total, the government announced schemes worth Rs 1 lakh crore to cater to various sections such as women, farmers, students, youths, and OBCs.