Mahayuti struggling to remain in sync, fight over a flagship scheme shows divisions run deep | Mumbai News
On June 28, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state’s annual Budget, the highlight of which was the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana (MMLBY) that grants a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 to women between 21 years and 65 years. With an estimated 2.5 crore beneficiaries, the state exchequer is set to incur a whopping Rs 46,000 crore expenditure on the scheme.
Less than 24 hours later, across Mumbai and the Thane district, posters on the scheme cropped with an image of CM Eknath Shinde prominently at the centre. In none of these posters, which were designed and posted quickly, was there a mention of the Deputy CMs, Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP or Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Whether it was a spontaneous act or part of a planned strategy remains unclear, but the move stirred party leaders and workers in the BJP and the NCP, who did not approve of the Sena’s manoeuvre to project Shinde as the sole face of the scheme.
Simmering for more than two months, differences emerged within the ruling Mahayuti alliance over the scheme again at a weekly Cabinet meeting on September 5 as a minister from the Shiv Sena objected to the NCP’s decision to omit the CM’s photo from advertisements and promotional material on the flagship project. After a war of words, it took Shinde’s intervention to pacify both sides and it was decided that the allies should ensure uniformity and unity over the scheme.
A senior NCP minister, requesting anonymity, said, “It is like ulta chor kotwal ko daate (the thief is accusing police).” The minister claimed it was the Sena that first attempted to “hijack” the scheme. “They went all out to depict how the project was conceptualised, planned and executed by the CM. Initially, they had posters showing only the CM. Now, when the NCP has used an Ajit Pawar photo, they are miffed. They have the audacity to question us,” he said.
The discord between the allies over taking credit for the scheme is no secret. With the Assembly polls likely to be held in November-December, all three Mahayuti parties are working overtime to consolidate their electoral bases through the women-centric scheme. Each party has been holding public meetings and rallies to project their leaders through this scheme.
The NCP is using Pawar’s role as the finance minister to claim credit for the scheme, saying his approval made it possible. To create a distinct identity, Pawar began wearing a pink jacket in August during his statewide Jansanman Yatra, which had the slogan “Ekach vada, Ajit Dada (Only Ajit Pawar keeps his promises).” Moreover, the NCP omitted “Mukhyamantri” from the scheme’s name in its posters, instead referring to it just as Ladki Bahin Yojana.
The BJP, too, dropped “Mukhyamantri” from its programmes on the scheme. At several of its rallies, the flagship project was referred to as Ladki Bahin Yojana. The party has also begun using the moniker “Deva bhau” for Fadanvis to portray him as “the loving brother”. Banners with Fadnavis’s image and “Deva bhau” have been placed across the state, including Pawar’s home turf Baramati.
When asked about these posters, Fadnavis explained, “People often address me with affection as Devendra bhau, Deva bhau. Personally, I like Deva bhau as it seems more affectionate.” During an interview with a Marathi TV channel, Fadnavis spoke on the Cabinet showdown over the scheme. “There was no fight. There was a discussion on how we should brand the flagship project. We felt there should be uniformity,” he said.
Though the top leaders downplayed the differences between the parties over the scheme, all three parties in the ruling alliance are following independent strategies to take advantage of it.
The division over the scheme is the latest in a series of differences that have cropped up in the Mahayuti. When a statute of Chhatrapati Shivaji collapsed in Sindhudurg district, the NCP organised a protest against it, taking both its allies by surprise. Last week, state Cabinet minister Tanaji Sawant’s comment that he “vomits” after attending Cabinet meetings because he has to sit next to NCP leaders riled up Pawar’s party, which sought the Sena leader’s resignation.
In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Mahayuti won 17 seats of the state’s 48 seats, trailing behind the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) that won 30 constituencies. The BJP won nine seats and 26.18% vote share, the Shiv Sena seven and 12.95%, and the NCP one and 3.6%. In the BJP, there is a sense that bringing the NCP on board did not help the Mahayuti, with a senior BJP functionary saying, “It has neither helped transfer votes or win seats. Secondly, the stated objective to politically finish off Sharad Pawar remained unaccomplished.”
In the Assembly polls, the Mahayuti is expecting a stiff challenge from the MVA and like in the Lok Sabha elections, seat-sharing may end up being a major bone of contention. While the BJP is under pressure from its MLAs to contest no less than 150 to 160 seats, the Shiv Sena is hoping for 80 to 90 seats, and the NCP has indicated it will settle only for 60 seats.
