DRAMA BEFORE ACTION

DISSENSIONS, PARTIES LOANING CANDIDATES TO ALLIES... THIS ASSEMBLY ELECTION IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER

- DNYANESH JATHAR

Soon after the Pune Police seized ₹5 crore in cash from an SUV owned by a person from Sangola tehsil in Solapur district recently, TV news channels began reporting allegations by Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders that it was meant for MLA Shahajirao Patil of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Patil, who went viral for his “Kay zadi, kay dongaar (what beautiful trees and hills)” remark while flying to Guwahati during Shinde’s revolt, denied the allegation.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) legislator Rohit Pawar alleged that there were five such vehicles, each carrying ₹5 crore. The veracity of the claims and counterclaims could not be verified, but the seizure offered a sneak peek into what lies ahead as Maharashtra goes to polls on November 20. If the police decide to remain this alert, there could be many more such seizures involving both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA.

At the time of filing this report, both alliances were in the final stages of seat-sharing talks. The BJP was nearing 150 seats and the Congress just over a 100. The allocation for their allies was unclear.

Maharashtra is going to witness a unique election this time. The traditional alliances—Congress-NCP on one side and Shiv Sena-BJP on the other—having been changed, the results would not just decide who rules the state but also which faction of the Shiv Sena and the NCP has been accepted by the people. So, it will test the mettle of Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar against Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule.