Omkar Dattatray
The political stalemate and drama in the economic hub of the country-Maharashtra continues as of now. The political crisis is on thanks to the rigid attitude of the tow old friends BJP and Shiv sena over government formation in the state. And this crisis can be truly and appropriately called Kissa kursi ka. In politics nothing is impossible and parties can go to any extent for the sake of power. In the present case Shiv Sena (SS) went to the extent of breaking and sacrificing 30 year old friendship with BJP only for the sake of the power. The potential tie up of the Shiv Sena and congress and NCP is the marriage of convenience and compulsion. This alliance if it takes place is the insult to the electorate of Maharashtra as they have given a hung mandate that is in favour of BJP and shiv sena. But the two parties are giving a good bye to the mandate of the voters of the state. Now a strange and un-natural alliance is to be woven between the arch rivals in the state. BJP which was asked by the governor to form a government has conveyed its inability to muster the magic number of 145 which is required for the formation of the coalition government. Now the second largest party is asked by the governor to form the government. Since it has only 56 seats in its kitty and it can muster the required strength only with the support of its staunch rivals the congress and the NCP. If this alliance taker practical shape it will be the alliance of the un-natural parties and hence will not give a stable coalition government to the state. The un-natural alliance will be of ideologically opposite parties and will be a weak alliance experiment which will not be in the interest of the people of Maharashtra and the BJP and Shiv Sena will have to pay a heavy price for thrusting the state into a weak coalition government. The Uddhav Thackery of SS has met the NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar at Mumbai and sought the support of the party for the formation of the coalition in the state. However the NCP leader and Supremo Shard pawar has kept the support to SS subject to the support of the congress and till then the party cannot make its choice known. The two leaders of SS have met to Ahamed Patel of the congress at Delhi in connection with the mustering of the support. The drama of Maharashtra has now come to Delhi and the congress president Sonia Gandhi has held a meeting at Delhi with the congress leaders of Maharashtra where the decision to support the SS in the government formation was discussed. As of now there is no certainty of the coalition government formation in the state. Still there is time the natural allies should forego their egos and throw their rigid stands and come together for the purpose of forming a stable and strong coalition government and this will be in accordance with the wishes of the voters and it will further strengthen the prospects of BJP and SS in the state. Such an alliance will be a natural one and ideologically feasible. If the alliance of the ideologically opposite parties takes shape, it will be akin to the alliance of the PDP and BJP in Jammu and Kashmir and will be the alliance of the opposite parties and like the J&K will be unstable and a virtually a failure as in J&K. It will be a wasted experiment. The BJP and Shiv Sena Knows it well that the failed coalition experiment of J&K and thus should come down from their stated positions for the interest of the Maharashtrains' and forge a working alliance at the earliest and take the state from the stalemate and political crisis in which it has been thrown by the stiff attitude of BJP and Shiv Sena. Now Shiv Sena has got a serious setback as the congress has declined to support the Shiv Sena. Udhav Thackery has not allowed the BJP and SS to form a coalition government in the state for attachment of his son Adita Thackery and the people of the state are angry with SS as they have disrespected the mandate of the people and has already broken 30 years old friendship with the BJP in the attachment of the his son. It has taken Maharashtra to ransom. Now governor has invited NCP leader Sharad Pawar to form a government. But it is to be seen how the NCP will get the magical number to forge an alliance government. In this situation there is all likelihood of the imposition of governor's rule in Maharashtra and the people will not support the SS in the elections in future. The people of Maharashtra will not forgive both BJP and SS for disrespecting their mandate and putting the state to political uncertainty. This disrespecting of the people will cost dearly to the two parties in the long run. Therefore the BJP and SS should be flexible and take immediate steps to form an alliance government at the earliest. BJP being the big brother of SS should sink their differences and the BJP should accept the demand of SS for the chief Minister's post. All that one can say at the moment is that a better sense should prevail on the two parties and they come closer to form a stable coalition and give a good bye to the political uncertainty and stalemate. At the same time one is forced to say that it is the politics of opportunitism and politics of compulsion. Till the time this write up is published it would not perhaps be clear as to how will the Shiv Sena forms the coalition government. But if at all the Shiv Sena will be in a position to cobble a coalition government of SS, congress and NCP, it will be not be a stable and strong coalition at all. Any way the likely coalition with congress and NCP will be disrespect to the SS founder Bala Shaib Thackery and he will be uneasy in the heaven at this ideologically different alliance government. Since the BJP and SS have maintained difference and parted ways, there is the possibility of the President's rule in the state as a last resort and this will be negation of the verdict of the voters.
(The writer is a retired education officer and a columnist)
