- Some of the widely accepted maxims associated with politics are worth repeating in the context of the Indian political class. There are no permanent enemies in politics. Politics is the art of the impossible. Politics is the marriage of convenience. Politics brings together strangers. Politics even brings together the estranged as well. My enemy’s enemy is also a friend, and this principle applies to politics. And the list can be endless. Every political party worth its salt would always be looking for an opportunity to not only consolidate its assiduously built vote banks but also go one up on its rivals. Even if it takes to make an unprecedented move and/or completely out of the box thinking that would interest the ordinary citizens to vouch for the party’s philosophy/ideology.
PC: NDTV
- Of course, nothing surprises anymore for the commoners in India, as our political leaders can introduce the unthinkable. The churnings in Maharashtra politics over the last few years are widely known in the country. The six important political players, viz. the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, and two each Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, have become well-known through some of the moves that even a trapeze artist would be proud of performing. The ensuing Bombay Municipal Corporation polls have made Uddhav Thackeray team up with estranged cousin Raj Thackeray in a politically expedient move. For what is at stake is the very survival of Uddhav’s political maneuvers. He may not recover politically if he fails after joining hands with Raj.
PC: TV9 Bharatvarsh
- It is apparent that the cousin brothers want to win elections to India’s richest civic body, on the back of a tried and tested identity politics like language, ethnicity, and insider/outsider narrative to whip up related emotions for gains. For the uninitiated, Shiv Sena has won BMC polls since 1985, barring 1992-1996. Raj broke away in 2005 after Uddhav inherited the party. Shiv Sena split in 2022 – Eknath Shinde toppled the Uddhav govt and walked away with CMship, sainiks, party, and symbol. Cut to the present: MNS of Raj has zero electoral relevance, and Uddhav is floundering. After Lok Sabha and state polls, elections to BMC – the jewel in Sena’s crown – will be Uddhav’s third test. Will he succeed in redeeming his faltering political career?
PC: Deccan Herald
Mind you, he has struggled to articulate his idea of a more inclusive Sena within the secular camp. When he resigned his post ahead of a floor test, it was a principled move for a politician. It, however, cost him a potential return to office in the SC case that followed. Uddhav won the people’s sympathy, sweeping LS polls, only to come a cropper in state elections. In tying up with MNS, Uddhav has turned another corner. The beaten-to-death narratives will not impress upon the voters, where migrants also constitute a substantial number, anymore. People expect answers to their daily challenges in a meaningful manner. Notably, the BJP has assumed the role of Big Bro and will aggressively pursue winning the BMC polls with great diligence. Wait for the churnings!
