As the date for the election to the Maharashtra State Assembly nears, one finds an increasingly segmented electorate that is going to result in a fractured verdict as in the past. There are two new elements now compared with the position in 2004. One is the split in the Shiv Sena (SS) with the formation of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which influenced the results of the Lok Sabha election. The other is the coming together of the various factions of the Republican Party. While every party’s goal is to capture power, the priority of MNS could be to prevent SS from coming to power. The right strategy for it should be not to put up candidates in constituencies where BJP, the coalition partner of SS, is contesting. It would strengthen BJP vis-à-vis Congress. It is just possible that, as a result of this strategy, the results may throw up a possible coalition government of BJP and MNS with perhaps the Dalit group also included. It may help in the toning down of the anti-northerners stance of MNS.
A Seshan, on email