In crucial local body elections that may have an indirect bearing on the stability of the BJP-led saffron alliance in Maharashtra, 10 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 11
Zilla Parishads and 118 Panchayat Samitis will go to polls on Tuesday.
After weeks of unprecedented exchange of barbs and trading of corruption charges and counter charges witnessed between the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena, more than 3.77 crore voters across the state on Monday prepared themselves to exercise their right in the polls in a most confused state – over the prospect of the continuance or otherwise of the saffron alliance in the state.
In Tuesday’s polls, the stakes are extremely high for the BJP in general and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in particular. With its long-time alliance partner Shiv Sena having snapped its electoral ties with it ahead of the local body polls, the BJP will have to contend with a more aggressive Shiv Sena after the polls. Will the Shiv Sena carry out its oft-repeated threat of pulling the plug on the Devendra Fadnavis-led government is a moot question that will beg answer after the local body polls.
Though Fadnavis has said that he does not see any threat to the stability of his government from the Shiv Sena, the relations between the two saffron partners will never be the same — especially after the leaders of the two parties indulged in a murkiest-ever campaign against each other during the electioneering.
So much so that both the Shiv Sena and BJP will be under extreme pressure to justify their continuance in power as alliance, after the polls. Ironically enough, both the BJP and Shiv Sena have already begun the transparency in governance as an agenda to continue in power in the State.