8. Why Maharashtra polls will be a test for regional parties

| Aug 13, 2024, 19:55 IST

Battle of states

The soon-to-be-held state elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and likely J&K, will witness cut-throat contests no less brutal than Lok Sabha fights.
Lok Sabha results were a timely reminder to the political class that no party can bank on past performance and no party, in today’s multi-party reality, can fight alone at the national level. State-level issues dominated both campaign and candidate performance.

Why Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, the stakes are the highest for all parties involved, especially for the four regional ones (two Senas, two NCPs).

Tricky lotus lines

For BJP, as the single party that is in office in Haryana and majority player in Maharashtra, the stakes are high not only as incumbent, but also in how the party is perceived after the knock it took in LS polls.
CM Shinde, who lacks a statewide presence, viewed his haul of 6 of 15 seats contested as victory, while Fadnavis, under whom BJP won 9 of 28 seats it contested, offered to resign over the party’s tally.
Perennial deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who recently lamented over missing out on CM-ship, holds his not being made CM as the factor responsible for his inability to rally all of NCP to his side.

Vague party lines

Whether opposition MVA (UBT-Sena, Congress, NCP-SP) will be able to carry to the Assembly election gains of its LS performance is also iffy.
Congress suffered a jolt when its MLAs cross-voted in biennial polls to 11 seats of the legislative council.
Uddhav is yet to articulate his own brand of Sena politics that’s removed from Shinde’s.
Sharad Pawar is reeling in MLAs from nephew’s NCP, but not everyone’s taking the bait.
The drama of party lines and party loyalties remains unresolved for both Senas and NCPs. The Maharashtra contest will be as fascinating as its impact on national politics.

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