Uddhav & Devendra, the odd couple
Poll pangs: CM dashes off to Matoshree but final outcome awaited
The meteorological department prediction that the cold wave is practically gone also holds good for the political climate in the state capital.
On Valentine's Day, the National Congress Party (NCP), in principle, agreed to forge an alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and, late in the evening, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rushed to Matoshree, to meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and convince him to join hands.
The NCP’s leader of opposition in the legislative council, Dhananjay Munde, sarcastically tweeted, Uddhav and Devendra are the best couple in the current political scenario. “They have been fighting for the last five years but they are still together. Which couple could be better placed than them?" he asked, incidentally on Valentine’s Day.
“In the state, the Congress-NCP have aligned and are ready to induct other like-minded parties. At the Centre, too, all anti-BJP parties have banded together and formed a maha gathbandhan (grand alliance) against the Modi government,” said a Congress leader. He added, “NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting in Delhi on Wednesday which was attended by all stalwarts, which forced the BJP to hold talks with the Sena. For the BJP, Maharashtra is a safer state than Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, if Modi wants to retain power.” On the same day, Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut suggested a new proposal to forge an electoral alliance with the ever-eager BJP– a demand for the Maharashtra CM’s post. “All parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are strong in their respective states. If you want an alliance with them at the Centre, then the CM of that state must belong to that ally,” Rajya Sabha member Raut said, citing the example of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. There is speculation Aaditya Thackeray, the Yuva Sena chief may enter electoral politics and contest the assembly polls. In this backdrop, CM Fadnavis held a meeting with senior party leaders his official residence Varsha, where it is likely he discussed a formula to forge an alliance with the Sena. It was after this meeting that Fadnavis left for Matoshree. But the end result was incolnclusive.