MAHA SCHISM

The Shinde-Fadnavis personal rivalry continues to test the ruling alliance, even as their respective parties battle for control of the political turf in Maharashtra 

-  Dhaval Kulkarni

Strain is the default setting when it comes to the alliance of convenience that the ruling coalition in Maharashtra is. If Eknath Shinde is at pains to constantly demonstrate that he is more than a puppet chief minister, the BJP loses no opportunity to remind him that he owes his position to them. And so the moves and countermoves play in a loop, the former's petulant streaks of autonomy being met by his one-time patron with plenty of, well, patronising.

The latest tussle is taking place over the Kalyan constituency, which is represented in the Lok Sabha by Shinde's 36-year-old son, Dr Shrikant Shinde. Trouble began after a police inspector close to the Shindes booked an aide of public works department (PWD) minister Ravindra Chavan in an alleged case of molestation. BJP leaders claimed it was an "act of vendetta" and threatened non-cooperation with the Shinde faction of the Sena in the constituency, so much so that an upset Shrikant even offered to vacate his seat. The undivided Thane Lok Sabha seat was once held by the BJP, but was snatched by the Shiv Sena during alliance negotiations in the 1990s. To Shinde's chagrin, the BJP is now said to be eager to field its candidate from Kalyan, formed after Thane was bifurcated in 2008.