Mumbai, Dec 30 (IANS) The Mahayuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP hit the jackpot in 2024 reporting a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections after a dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls. BJP not only succeeded in asserting its big brother role in the grand alliance but also getting the chief minister’s post which it had sacrificed in June 2022 for Eknath Shinde after he staged a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which had outsmarted the MahaYuti in the Lok Sabha elections, met with a complete washout in the Assembly elections. MVA now faces an acid challenge to keep the alliance relevant and more importantly, its constituents — Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP(SP) — to keep their respective flock together while pursuing efforts for revival in the next five years.
Mahayuti not only weathered the anti-incumbency factor but also worked cohesively to turn odds into opportunity by putting up a massive show of unity. BJP after the dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections, tweaked its strategy for the Assembly polls by making sure that with allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, it would regain power in Maharashtra which continues to be a leading state known for its vibrancy and leadership in political, financial and social sectors with a progressive and pragmatic status. RSS, which was silent during the general elections, swung into action and pulled out its organisational network to help the BJP not only emerge as the single largest party but also get a thumping win for the Mahayuti. BJP will make all efforts to achieve its ambitious ‘Shat Pratishat (winning power on its own)’ in the 2029 elections as already announced by Home Minister Amit Shah during the Assembly poll campaign.
On the other hand, despite winning more seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA failed to create the same magic in the Assembly elections majorly due to egos, internal disputes, lack of a formidable and convincing roadmap for the voters and above all failure to tweak its poll strategy considering the conflict among various castes and communities. Congress, despite loss in the Haryana Assembly elections after a humiliating defeat, failed to show maturity in working with allies, taking various castes and communities into confidence and leading from the front of the MVA against the mighty BJP and its allies. MVA thereby lost its opportunity to oust Mahayuti.
Despite financial distress in agriculture, especially, due to the rising mismatch between the cost of production and market prices of cotton and soybean, burgeoning cases of farmers’ suicides, unrest over reservations in the Maratha, OBC and Dhangar communities and spate of crimes against women and delicate state of Maharashtra’s finances, MVA failed to score a victory over Mahayuti. On its part, Mahayuti played its cards well by launching a slew of welfare and development schemes, including the much-debated Ladki Bahin Yojana and implemented them through military-like precision planning. BJP’s move to reach out to various castes and communities from OBC by organising over 350 meetings and also to take the Hindu Dalits into confidence, especially after the Supreme Court’s order which ruled that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes.
BJP in particular succeeded in the consolidation of OBCs while reaffirming its commitment to the Maratha reservation. This is despite violent and strong protests by the activists pressing for the reservation for Marathas, OBCs and Dhangars. Pro-Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil factor had worked in favour of MVA in general elections but it did not come to MVA’s help in the Assembly elections. Mahayuti still faces an acid test to address the contentious reservation issue as Jarange-Patil has already announced to launch a fresh protest while OBCs after the denial of ministerial berth to Chhagan Bhujbal are up in the arms declaring that they would not allow encroachment in their reservation quota. Mahayuti will have to trade its path cautiously.
The rape and molestation of two minor girls in the private school in Badlapur from Thane district shook the state. Opposition and various organisations staged protests blaming the Mahayuti government for deteriorating law and order. The opposition also cried foul over the encounter of the main accused in the Badlapur rape incident, but the Mahayuti strongly defended the police action citing it was done after the accused had attacked the police party. Ironically, the crime against women did not get enough prominence during the poll campaign, especially after the then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had promised stern action against those involved in such incidents. The Mahayuti government will have to ensure that it is committed to curbing crimes against women by strict implementation of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita in true letter and spirit, especially after the Centre has sought its opinion about the necessity of Shakti Act to deal with such crimes.
The collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Malvan in the coastal Sindhudurg district gave ammunition to opposition to target the Mahayuti over alleged corruption and haste in awarding the contract. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not waste time but tendered an apology reiterating that Chhatrapati Shivaji is their ideal. Opposition failed to keep the issue alive during the poll campaign. Although Shiv Sena(UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray promised the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji temple in every district, it did not click with the voters. Ironically, the opposition could not properly flag off Marathi Asmita (Martin Pride) with the voters.
The Mahayuti’s freebies and populist slogans yielded positive results as the beneficiaries overwhelmingly extended their support. The Mahayuti despite the opposition’s criticism was able to successfully play up the welfare economics in tune with its political agenda.
Although MVA had promised monthly aid of Rs 2,100 to eligible women and free rides in state transport buses, it did not work as 2.34 crore women beneficiaries had already received Rs 7,500 (Rs 1,500 per month) for July-November. To address the unemployment and lack of necessary skill sets among youth, the Mahayuti launched the training programme with a monthly stipend that also helped to win the young and first-time voters. MVA had promised a monthly allowance of RS 4,000 to the educated unemployed but it remained merely a promise while the youth had benefited from the Mahayuti’s training scheme.
Even though the handouts and ‘revadis’ have helped Mahayuti with its big victory, it has put up an added burden on the state economy. The fiscal deficit has already crossed Rs 2.30 lakh crore while the public debt is expected to be Rs 8 lakh crore plus leaving limited room for capital expenditure and raising funds from the markets. Opposition is claiming that some of the welfare schemes, including Ladki Bahin Yojana, will be either closed or the funding will be reduced. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputies have reiterated that the state is quite capable of continuing these schemes, reassuring that the government will make all efforts to maintain fiscal management and fiscal prudence. Despite that, the state government will have to strive to mobilise additional resources while pursuing its ambition of Maharashtra achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2028.
Despite a bumpy road ahead, Maharashtra continues to be the most favoured investment destination in the country. Maharashtra has topped in getting FDI in two consecutive years 2023-24 and 2024-25. The state topped the country in foreign direct investment with Rs 1,25,101 crore in 2023-24 and it again topped in the first two quarters, from April to September of this year 2024-25 with FDI of Rs1,13,236 crore, which is more than 90 per cent of last year’s total FDI. The state is a preferred destination for FDI.
The government will have to actively pursue fast-track development of infrastructure, including roads, highways, sea links, metro and various other projects such as river linking and water grid of over Rs 5 lakh crore. Besides, it needs to take due steps for achieving the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s turnover to become $300 billion by 2030 from the present level of $140 billion.
However, amid rising competition from various states, the Mahayuti government will have to further improve the ease of doing business with strict implementation of the single window clearance by removing red tape and keeping the policy and regulatory continuity.
As the state is ready to welcome 2025, the Mahayuti government is cornered by the opposition and various people’s organisations over the brutal killing of a young sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district and the death of a Dalit youth Somnath Survanshi in Parbhani. Although CM Fadnavis has announced a zero-tolerance policy, it’s time for the Mahayuti to walk the talk.
(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
–IANS
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