BJP, Houn Jaau De…
With the election results of MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh going the BJP way, time has come now for the Maharashtra BJP to swing into action and convince the high command to go solo! Yes, you read it right, go solo for any small and big election!! Read on as to why…
BJP Maharashtra and the think tank have announced that the upcoming Loksabha and Vidhan Sabha elections will be headed under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde. Devendra Fadnavis is not going anywhere and even today there are millions of people including the Ex CMs and present MLAs and MLCs of ‘other parties’ are queuing outside BJP offices and residence to induct them into the BJP party. Already BJP Maharashtra by inducting a lot of ‘imports’ from other parties, is overcrowded. The original BJP swayamsevak and party men are nowhere close when it comes for ‘awarded and rewarded’ by the BJP because it is the ‘imports’ who are taking the lion’s share in everything. To cite a few examples, the Tenders, MLC posts, Corporations, Liasoning etc…All imports have to be awarded first, otherwise how will they justify their move, remains a big challenge for the BJP too! With this, there is a very silent wave of ‘dissatisfaction’ amongst party workers and this is not only in the BJP, but in other parties too.
Now news has picked up that the likes of Ashok Chavan and many other Congress leaders are on the way to join the BJP. I had written this about 6 months ago that a faction of all parties (Congress, Sharad Pawar group, Uddhav Thackeray group) will join the BJP as the date of election comes closer.
But then, does the BJP Maharashtra need this? Does it require an alliance with anyone? Why does it need an Eknath Shinde or an Ajit Pawar or a Raj Thackeray? Aren’t Narendra Damordas Modi, Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis and lakhs of BJP followers in Maharashtra not enough to give them confidence for the numbers they need? Has faith in the party and in the leadership, shaken?
I would rather say it should be the BJP who should tell its alliance partners like that of Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, Raj Thackeray and many others to fight for all 48 MP seats and 288 MLA seats, all the Corporations and Local self governing bodies elections, by themselves. 2019 Vidhan Sabha should not be repeated by the BJP at any cost. No seat sharing at all… “Else we fought only 122…and we scored 105, had we fought on all 288 we would have been in majority”..Shhhh!!! We don’t need anything of this sort in 2024. Let BJP alone also fight for all seats.
Every party should field a candidate for every seat. Let the BJP, SS , UBT group, NCP, Sharad Pawar group, MNS, RPI and all remaining political parties existing in Maharashtra field candidates for all the seats. No seat sharing formula at all. No MVA or no NDA , nothing! With this, the aam janta will know “kaun Kitne Paani mein hai”…Also let the janta decide which ideology they want as Government. Do they like the BJP to be in power, do they prefer Eknath Shinde’s Hindutva, do they prefer Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray secularism or Raj Thackeray’s innovative ideas, let the public give its mandate. In the end those who prefer alliances, boss, all these parties are BJP ‘s alliances anyways; BJP has the upper hand any which way.
What will happen, if everyone going solo in elections gimmick works, every party will know its place and value. Tomorrow no Tom, Dick and Harry will come and claim that XYZ had promised me to become the CM. Numbers don’t lie. All those who are sulking that my candidature is gone because someone else from another party is the claimant of the post, such problems will just vanish in thin air as everyone will get a chance. My gut feel says that if the BJP contests 288 seats alone in Maharashtra, it would not require any alliance partner. But then let the high command decide whom to take and whom not to as it was because of alliance partners like Eknath Shinde, BJP could topple the MVA and come into power.
Today even the babu’s are dragged and pulled and roughed up by all 3 parties when it comes to the administration of the state. With Devendra Fadanvis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar at the top, we really don’t know who is calling the shots. We all say Uddhav Thackeray has still got the emotion in favour of him in Mumbai and Kokan, Sharad Pawar is the king of western Maharashtra, after this going solo gimmick, all these ‘myths’ will be wiped off and there will be reality checks for everyone. And if BJP does not come as the single largest party, then surely it is time for introspection for all of the BJP that they too, aren’t invincible. It is true that we need a nationalised party to rule the state. But seeing Congress’s in-fighting today in Maharashtra, it is advantage BJP! With this all going solo formula, all the chatter as to who is big, who has more power and who is the Chanakya, everything will see the light eventually. So don’t be afraid BJP, Houn Jaau De…
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.