- The ordinary citizens of India must be wondering when one or the other elections do not happen in the country for a change. As you are aware, the country witnesses some elections throughout the year with the political class appearing in your face perpetually. In this context, it is worthwhile to mention the efforts underway for the One Nation One Election by the incumbent Union Government led by no less than the Prime Minister himself. As an offshoot, the governance gets affected is a fact since the model code of conduct kicks in the moment the dates for the elections are announced. Yes, after the recent elections to Haryana and the UT of J&K, the elections to Maharashtra and Jharkhand are announced now by the Election Commission of India.
PC: Chatham House
- Now, people closely following the fortunes of the political parties in the country would know how crucial the state of Maharashtra is for financial and economic health. Not for nothing, Mumbai is anointed as the financial capital of India. Intriguingly, Maharashtra politics in the last couple of years has been anything but confusing with two major regional parties breaking away to form a separate entity. Yes, I am referring to Shiv Sena and the NCP. We have BJP and Congress. Thus, six Maharashtra leaders and six futures are at stake in the state’s one-day poll. And all bets are off. Many, including from within the ruling Mahayuti government will be relieved that polls to the 288-seat Maharashtra were finally announced, for it’ll put a stop to CM Shinde’s Santa Claus avatar.
- Between June and October, Shinde’s been on a giving spree to the public, including waiving highway tolls, which as BJP’s Gadkari said, can hinder the state’s ability to pay subsidies on time. But Shinde no doubt believes pre-poll state largesse and promises aplenty can paper over discontent over unemployment, rural stagnation, and growing disparity between richer western parts and poor eastern Maharashtra. And there’s the recurring Maratha fixture, quota activist Jarange Patil, on his sixth indefinite fast in the past year, promises to whom Shinde won’t be allowed to forget in a jiffy. Shinde’s breakaway Sena faction triggered a chain of events and constitutional questions remain unresolved yet.
PC: The Hindu
- For both Uddhav and Shinde, electoral victory will establish political legitimacy – Shinde wrested CMship from Uddhav – and who keep Bal Thackeray’s legacy. Ajit Pawar is said to have the state BJP’s approval to contest between 50 and 60 of 288 seats despite poor LS performance. Will the murder of Baba Siddique impact the electoral outcome? Time will reveal. Congress’s unexpected drubbing in Haryana has the party struggling to reevaluate strategies. In the single-phase election, each party not only must deliver a handsome strike rate, but each party chief must stamp his political brand on his coalition’s win. Interesting contest ahead. Will the electorate get influenced by the sops on offer, or prefer to elect with a sense of duty rather than expect miracles to happen?
