IT HAS ALMOST BECOME PASSE TO COMPARE the recent political manoeuvrings in Maharashtra to George R.R. Martin’s cliffhanger book Game of Thrones but, truly, among contemporary works there is no other worthy comparison. Both are masterful, complex webs of deceit, treachery and lust for power, and neither has come to an end. But unlike the book, in which there are many kingpins, the story in Maharashtra revolves around one man—Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar.
Sharad Pawar was responsible for forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi, a post-election coalition of the NCP, the Shiv Sena and the Congress along with the Samajwadi Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Peasants and Workers Party and some independent MLAs. And it is Sharad Pawar’s strategy that made the Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Here is a look at the way things unfolded before Uddhav Thackeray took the oath of office on November 27, a month after the results were declared and the Sena had broken ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On November 18, Sharad Pawar met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and overcame her misgivings about allying with the Sena, explaining that it was the only way to oust the BJP in Maharashtra. On the night of November 22, the Congress, the NCP and the Sena were deliberating their next move.
According to reports, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar was opposed to the Congress getting any plum posts. While discussions were on, Sharad Pawar left the meeting and met media persons to tell them that Uddhav Thackeray would be Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister.
This stunning piece of news was followed the very next morning by the stupefying announcement that the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis had been sworn in as the State’s Chief Minister around 8 a.m. by Governor B.S. Koshyari.
This story is from the December 20, 2019 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the December 20, 2019 edition of FRONTLINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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