Maharashtra's House of Cards

Book review of Trading Power: The Inside Story of How the People's Mandate was betrayed in the 2019 Maharashtra Election

Unlike states like Goa and Haryana, recent Maharashtra politics has not seen defections, backstabbing and political U-turns on a mass scale. Certainly, politicians have changed parties ahead of elections and the run up to the 2019 Assembly elections took the cake, prompting Home Minister Amit Shah to remark with ill-concealed glee that barring Sharad Pawar and Prithviraj Chavan, every other politician of any hue was knocking at the door to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

However, elections are a bit like the young lady of Niger who smiled as she rode on a tiger — and when they returned, the lady was inside the tiger and the smile was on the face of the tiger. While the BJP may have been the preferred abode of politicians before the elections, the result of the Assembly poll was such that it was the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress combine that finally formed the government, robbing the BJP of the prize though it had emerged as the single largest party and had a pre-poll alliance with the Sena. Government formation involved complicated calisthenics that included many dead-of-night meetings, one dawn oath-taking at the Raj Bhavan, imposition of President’s Rule, Grand Reconciliation, Family Drama, Tears, Thrills and Spills. This book is a remarkable fly-on-the-wall account of the circumstances under which Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister of Maharashtra.

The author, who has also co-written a biography of senior Maharashtra politician Narayan Rane, makes no secret of where her sympathies lie. The premise of the book is that the mandate given by the people in the 2019 elections was betrayed. The underlying thread is that the outgoing chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, under whose leadership the BJP fought the election, was actually the man who won and like the Grinch who stole Christmas, Shiv Sena wriggled out of the alliance when it became clear that it would not get the chief ministership. According to the author, this was never promised in the first place, although she duly notes that Uddhav Thackeray claims it was — by Amit Shah, not once but twice, the second time, in a car. The book is heavy on Solomon-like pronouncements. For instance, it reports the atmosphere at the Sena MLAs meeting when Uddhav readied the party to walk out of the alliance even though MLAs felt he was overreaching himself. The author notes: “But morality often finds no place in politics. It gets compromised for temporary gains…”

Tut tut.

The book records some events in the power tug-of-war that are not widely known. We know that Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar, went over to the BJP to offer Fadnavis his support along with some Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs but returned to the family bosom when he couldn’t muster enough numbers. But what is not generally known is that he had the full support of his uncle in jumping ship. The book records a call Fadnavis  made to Sharad Pawar to seal Ajit Pawar’s defection where talks appear to be at such an advanced stage that NCP and BJP discuss not just portfolios but even guardian ministers once they help each other form the government. It also describes the conversation between Sharad Pawar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that suggests talks were at an advanced stage before Pawar Senior changed his mind. Then why the outrage — not just on the part of Sharad Pawar but also his family — when Ajit Pawar finally made the leap? What changed? This is not explained. And then, the book says when Ajit Pawar realised the coup had been abortive and wanted to return home, it was Sharad Pawar’s son-in-law Sadanand (who has stayed backstage so far) who persuaded a shamefaced Ajit that all was forgiven. The final absolution came after a telephone conversation with Pratibhatai, Sharad Pawar’s wife and Ajit’s aunt.

Trading Power: The Inside Story of How the People’s Mandate was betrayed in the 2019 Maharashtra Election

Author: Priyam Gandhi-Mody

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages: 221; Price: Rs 450

The book is so indignant about Shiv Sena’s behaviour that it does not adequately explore the leap of faith the Congress had to take. Joining forces with Sena was for the Congress the equivalent of a political earthquake. At the meeting where the proposal was first discussed, former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan were the only ones who argued that if they did not join the government, there would be no party unit left standing in Maharashtra. At the instance of Sonia Gandhi (who was deeply reluctant to enter this alliance) leader after leader from Maharashtra tore into the two Chavans for even daring to suggest such a thing. Some confessed they were put up to it by the “high command”.

While the book is a great inside track account of a turning point in contemporary politics, it does not adequately discuss the structural political and economic changes in Maharashtra that promise more such future shocks. It alludes to some actors who were the negotiators simply by initials but does not explain the source of their leverage and power. It refers to the role of electoral strategist Prashant Kishor but forgets about him later. And while it notes with veiled disapproval, the power wielded by Aaditya Thackeray, it does not explore the Sena’s new political trajectory, especially in universities, and his role in it.

The book is to be turned into a television series soon, maybe House of Cards, Maharashtra style. We await it eagerly.