STALEMATE BOGS DOWN GOVERNANCE

The stalemate in the alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena over the former’s purported assurance on a 50-50 formula of sharing power and rotating the post of chief minister if returned to office is escalating. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserts that no such assurance was held out, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray insists that it was given by BJP president Amit Shah apparently in private parleys in the run-up to the polls. That talks between the two sides, scheduled for Tuesday, were called off with there being no signs of a compromise bares the crass insensitivity of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra to governance issues. The controversy centres around Uddhav’s son Aaditya Thackeray who at 29 is angling to sit on the coveted chair despite no experience of holding public office at all. Right from the days of its founder, Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena has revelled in aggressive postures. Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav knows only the language that his father taught him — to dictate terms to others. At the other end of the spectrum Fadnavis, relatively young, having become chief minister in his first term as legislator is in no mood to give in. He has governed the State for one full term as chief minister and being leader of the single largest party in the State insists that he will rule the state for the coming term of five years. In the current scheme of things, he is fully backed by the party bigwigs.

As things stand, a government cannot be formed if the Sena snaps the alliance with the BJP. Under the anti-defection law, a formal and recognisable split can take place only if onethird of the Sena members split and decide to form a separate party. In that event, the breakaway group can tie up with the BJP with some independents chipping in. That is a theoretical possibility but by no means easy to achieve. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress who are in alliance have insufficient numbers but may be willing to form an alternate government with support from Shiv Sena but that doubtlessly would be a rickety arrangement and could only hasten the split in the Sena. Willy nilly, Fadnavis is confident that the Shiv Sena would come round to accepting to be in coalition with the BJP dropping the insistence on rotational chief ministership. Yet, there are imponderables and only time will tell what kind of a government emerges and how durable it would be.