MVA government's 2 years amid hawk-eyed vigil of Opposition BJP

As it completes two years in office, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra continues to be under the hawk-eyed vigil of Opposition BJP.

Besides, at least a dozen leaders are under the scanner of central agencies.

Spearheaded by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and guided by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the government has managed to sail through the rough weather amid constant attacks by opposition BJP.

The BJP which remains restless because of the Shiv Sena unforgivable dare of breaking ties and joining hands with diametrically opposite Congress-NCP combine - a political jawdropper by any standards.

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While the 24 months - the government will complete two years on November 28, have been eventful and challenging because of Covid-19 pandemic, and though they have managed to stonewall the BJP, 2022 will bring in many more challenges.

Since the three parties - Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress - are not on the same page in several issues and there are internal contradictions, they now have to take a call on a pre-poll alliance given the fact that a majority of the big corporations - Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati, Aurangabad and Solapur- will go to polls early next year, which would be a sort of mini Vidhan Sabha polls and a referendum on the Thackeray government.

Thackeray, who has to undergo a surgery for a problem in the cervical spine and is recuperating and would take some time to be back in action fully.

For him, winning the Mumbai civic body is key as the Shiv Sena is ruling it for a quarter of a century. While the Congress is keen to contest all future elections on its own strength, Thackeray, Pawar and the latter’s nephew and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, are keen on a working relationship with a pre-poll arrangement, but a lot of groundwork needs to be done. “These are difficult times, we have to take a call. We cannot keep the party ranks and files guessing as to whether we will go together or fight single-handedly. There would be mass rebellion if we delay decisions. We have to be clear on our future plans now,” says a senior MVA leader, pointing out that Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and his Mumbai counterpart Bhai Jagtap and other leaders will have to do what best suits existing political circumstances and make reasonable goals.

Also Read | Amravati violence: MVA govt's self-goal

For leader of opposition in Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, his counterpart in Council Praveen Darekar and state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, it is a big challenge to dislodge the government and avenge what happened in October-November 2019.

The BJP has given several dates by when the MVA would collapse but the MVA stood the test of time. “Now we are not getting into that but we feel that 2022, the government will come down on its own, particularly after the civic polls. There would be big differences and this would lead to problems,” a senior BJP leader said.

BJP’s Maharashtra in-charge, C T Ravi, has made the agenda for the party clear and asked the team here to be more aggressive.

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