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With barely 100 days to go for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, parties in the state have begun preparations and each is considering contesting the polls solo.
The ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as well as opposition Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have launched extensive, state-wide preparations, with the organisation of regional workshops, tours by senior leaders and ministers and a time- bound programme to reach out to maximum voters.
The Congress and NCP, which have been ruling the state since the last 15 years, have started Assembly- wise reviews to prepare a probable list of candidates for 288 seats. Both parties are trailing behind the BJP & Shiv Sena candidates in a record 234 of the total 288 Assembly seats in the recently-held Lok Sabha election. However, they argue that the ‘Modi wave’ is receding fast and the Centre's policies to tackle price rise and other issues faced by the common man might come quite handy to counter the MahaYuti or Grand Alliance comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, Republican Party of India, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and Rashtriya Samaj Party.
The Congress has formed region-wise committees headed by former union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former chief minister Ashok Chavan to take a stock of the situation and gear up poll preparations.
State Congress chief Manikrao Thackeray said the decision with regard to seat-sharing with the NCP would be taken at the level of party chief Sonia Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawar. However, a section of the Congress party led by forest minister Patangrao Kadam, revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat and former union minister of state for coal Pratik Patil are making a strong case for the Congress to break its alliance with the NCP and face voters independently. They strongly feel that the NCP's tainted image might impact the Congress’ poll prospects. Besides, they think that the NCP might encourage Congress rebels to defeat the party's official candidates in several constituencies.
The NCP has launched state-wide joint rallies by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and newly-appointed state party chief Sunil Tatkare. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has already held a series of meetings with ministers and district-wise leaders to prepare a road map for the Assembly poll.
The NCP, which has won four seats, two more than the Congress in the general elections, has already taken an aggressive posture saying that it was not keen to lose the poll by carrying the Congress’ baggage. NCP is demanding at least 144 seats, half of 288, from the Congress or threatening to go solo. Pawar has been at the forefront, repeatedly stating the party's preparations to fight in all 288 seats.
On the other hand, buoyed by its sterling performance in the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has not hidden its ambition to score victory in 145 of the total 288 Assembly seats by going solo and grabbing the chief minister’s post. Last week, the party held a two-day state executive meeting assuring members that it would win in Maharashtra. However, the BJP, which has yet to recover from the untimely death of Gopinath Munde, does not want to puncture its poll prospects with the projection of any individual as the chief ministerial candidate but has agreed to face the poll through collective leadership.
BJP’s 25-year-old ally Shiv Sena, which won 18 Lok Sabha seats, has already launched a state-wide campaign to increase its presence and indicated that it is preparing itself for contesting alone. Party MP and executive editor of Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Sanjay Raut has downplayed the BJP’s hint at going solo but has argued that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has the leadership quality and ability to become the chief minister. Raut said the Sena would insist on Uddhav to be projected as the MahaYuti’s CM candidate.
The MNS, which failed to open its account in the Lok Sabha poll, has already taken a decision not to strike alliances with any party but try its luck on its own by projecting party chief Raj Thackeray as the chief ministerial candidate.
