Mumbai The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Devendra Fadnavis, pulled it off again. They successfully managed to garner 28 votes from the Independents and smaller parties and more importantly, from the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition.
It is said that the secret ballot and the lack of a cohesive strategy from the ruling coalition helped BJP score over the MVA.
Insiders in the BJP have attributed the victory, which seemed impossible based on the number of MLAs, to the leadership’s perfect strategy and the successful tapping into the discontent brewing within the ruling parties.
“We polled 134 votes (including one disqualified vote) in first preference, up by 28 from our own tally of 106. This means not only a major chunk of independents and smaller party MLAs, but a few from the ruling parties voted for us. The number of supporting MLAs has increased by 11 from 123 votes we polled in RS polls. It shows the lack of confidence MLAs have on the MVA leadership,” said a BJP leader requesting anonymity.
He added that just like for the Rajya Sabha poll, the strategy to give more first preference votes to a couple of candidates so that the last candidate can benefit from surplus votes worked in council elections too.
The MVA, during its confidence motion in November 2019, had polled 169 votes with the help of the support from independents and smaller parties. It dwindled to 162 during the Rajya Sabha poll held last week and now to 150 votes.
Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that they could win their fifth seat because of the rifts within MVA and the dismay amongst MLAs. “We did not have even a single vote to win the fifth seat,yet our candidates polled the highest votes. This has happened because of the discontent among MLAs and rift within the ruling parties. It is a sign of the discontent among the people against the state government as well. Our fight will continue till we bring the people-oriented government in the state to take Maharashtra on the path of development,”said Fadnavis.
Similarly, a BJP leader, who was part of the strategy planning, said, “The biggest difference between the MVA and the BJP is the unity in our ranks. While the MVA house is divided, our strategy was finalised solely by Devendra Fadnavis, ensuring cohesion in the ranks. There is clear resentment within the MVA. The chief minister is inaccessible to legislators and even ministers, and there is a perception that this is essentially a NCP government as the party controls the power structures. The NCP controls the state’s finance department and has ensured that its MLAs get the lion’s share.”
Unlike the BJP that planned its strategy as a cohesive unit, with Fadnavis leading the charge, the MVA worked in silos, admitted its leaders, with individual parties trying to ensure a win for their nominees.
The Shiv Sena, which has a bench strength of 55, and the support of nine independents and smaller parties in the house, distributed its votes for its two candidates, and refused to share its surplus votes with its allies.
A NCP minister admitted to the disunity in their ranks. “There are three parties here, so no one wants to take any risks. We had worked out several permutations and combinations to ensure that all of our nominees won, but they were incumbent on the cross-voting from the ranks of the BJP. However, it must be said that BJP legislators are more loyal,” he added.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said that the ruling parties had fallen short in strategy despite all efforts and the opposition succeeded by using ‘ill means’.
Senior Congress leader and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat said that three ruling parties should sit together and think over as the ruling parties in MVA. “We should accept the decimating performance. I am not complaining about the ruling allies as they did their part in helping us. But as the ruling alliance, it is time to introspect over where we need to put our act together,” he said.
A Congress minister said that Jagtap seemed to have poached the votes of his party colleague Handore, thus leading to his defeat. Sources said that the anger in the party at the Sena and the NCP sidelining it in the government was likely to grow.
Already, party leaders have charged that the delimitation of wards in cities like Mumbai has worked against the interests of the Congress. The Congress may also have to pay a political price of Handore, a Buddhist Dalit losing, seemingly due to machinations from its own ranks.
Though the Congress seemed to have managed to convince the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), which is led by Vasai-Virar strongman Hitendra ‘Appa’ Thakur and has three MLAs to transfer some votes to it, these efforts eventually came to a naught.
“This is a moral defeat for the MVA. They had to protect their legislators from poaching. Otherwise, it is the opposition which is at the receiving end of horse-trading attempts,” said a senior BJP leader and former minister.
Another BJP leader added that this shows that the government is on a shaky ground. “We may not immediately destabilise the regime as we want it to fall under the weight of its own contradictions,” he said.
Political analyst Hemant Desai said that it’s a major beating and added, “The tally of the MLAs with the MVA has dropped drastically from the confidence vote in November 2019 and even the Rajya Sabha polls last week. The cross voting by the sitting ruling party MLAs is shocking and will definitely have ramifications in the long run.”