BJP’s Plan B: Mid-Term Polls

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a plan B in place in the event of an adverse Supreme Court ruling dealing a blow to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led government in Maharashtra — Midterm state assembly elections in six months. “The Supreme Court will interpret case laws to rule on the legitimacy of the disqualification notices to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, issued by Deputy Speaker in the Vidhan Sabha of Maharashtra Narhari Zirwal. If Chief Justice NV Ramanna headed division bench of justices decides the notices were valid and disqualifies the 16 MLAs then, the BJP high command will plan for mid-term polls in Maharashtra even while simultaneously pursuing a review petition before the apex court,” a person familiar with the development said. “The same mistake by Indira Gandhi after the emergency did not work for the Congress party just as Pramod Mahajan’s ‘Indian Shining’ effort in 2004cost both ruling govts power at Centre after approaching the electorate before their respective tenures were over,” he added.

A senior BJP leader noted, “Legal counsels for the Shinde camp submitted before the SC that the fundamental issue of the legitimacy of pre-poll alliances crumbling post elections, as happened in Maha, needed to be considered. Chief Justice of India Ramana prescribed the setting up of a bigger constitutional bench as pan India political precedent was sought to be set.” Another BJP leader, however, disagreed with this premise and said, “In today’s context the larger fundamental issue of misguiding gullible voters is not the immediate priority for the SC. The pre-poll alliance issue is an academic one whereas the court has to go strictly by the law.”