Maharashtrians confused, angry after collapse of Sena-BJP alliance

Iswalkar, who fights for labour rights and their housing, says, “I saw it (current political situtaion) coming the day Gopinath Munde met with an accident on June 3.”

While everyone thinks the Shiv Sena doesn’t have a face and so a separation with BJP could be a big mistake, Iswalkar says the BJP too could be facing its biggest test in the state. “Both parties need to put a face to convince the ‘Marathi Manoos,” he says.

“A Maharashtrian today wants to know who is the leader he is voting for. All he has seen and heard in the last 18 days is number of seats and maths,” Iswalkar adds.

“Just a few days ago, the Mahayuti promised a future and I saw fireworks. Suddenly, last evening, it was all over because of politics. The Marathis want to know why the Prime Minister invited his Chinese counterpart to Ahmedabad. Is that the capital? Also, in the last few months, the Marathi newspapers have been very critical of the main infrastructure projects moving to Gujarat. I won’t be surprised if the Sena uses it to their advantage,” says Iswalkar.

Dadar resident Abhishek Junnarkar (34), who is working on laying 4G network and travels daily in his car between central Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, says the conversations have now moved from Hindutva to Gujarati and Marathi. “Strangely, when Lal Krishna Advani was the national face of the BJP, I never heard a Maharashtrian splitting his political views between Sindhis and Marathis,” says Junnarkar.

Having spent years distributing pamphlets for the Sena-BJP alliance, Junnarkar is torn between the Sena and the BJP. “It’s like a family court asking a child, who do you want, your mother or father? I am confused. My heart is with the Sena, but when I see Modi on television speaking to me, it makes me aspire. The we have Devendra Phadnavis in the state who echoes his thoughts on governance. It’s really a tough choice,” says Junnarkar.

Sulakshana Mahajan (63), an urban planner well versed with the city, says she is sad, besides being confused. “I was proud of the Marathi political class, we set examples. Most of our legacy seems to have gone and yesterday’s political development makes us look so low. It was self over state. I have respect for Prithviraj Chavan, who at least shows an urban mindset.”

Saylee Kulkarni (29), a doctor by profession and a Sena supporter from Santacruz, says there is no clarity on the political identity of different parties outside the coalition. “I preferred Shiv Sena because I wanted a Marathi influence. Many among us feel they never got an opportunity, except once in the 1990s. But for a Maharashtrian standing in the poll booth, the basic question is the vision that all the five parties offer.”

For Raghunath Acharya (52), a resident of the Sena bastion of Girgaum, it is going to be an exciting election. Acharya, a partner in a chartered accountancy firm, says, “In my neighborhood, everyone has fallen for Modi.”

Political observers, however, say many Maharashtrians look at BJP president Amit Shah as an outsider and are uneasy about two Gujaratis (Modi and Shah) changing the political landscape of the state although they would have preferred Munde as BJP’s face in the state.

Abhay Pethe, a professor of economics, says not too much should be read in the split among allies. “It’s purely turf war,” he says. “All eye will be on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which is in a unique position. It was not much significant when polls were fought in alliances, but now it could come to be a king-maker,” Pethe says.

smita.nair@expressindia.com