Who helped Fadnavis in the ‘political rupture’ in Maharashtra?

Mumbai: How did former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis suddenly become so powerful that he is challenging and even defeating the government and seems to be reaching the chief minister’s chair for the third time? That perhaps is the biggest question in the current political clime of the nation. In the Rajya Sabha elections, he made the third BJP candidate win by juggling five to six votes. After that, Fadnavis defeated Mahavikas Aghadi by challenging it in the Legislative Council elections. He had announced after the Rajya Sabha elections that he would give a bigger blow in the election of the Legislative Council and proved his word as he garnered 20 additional votes to win the fifth seat in the Legislative Council.

In this, only three MLAs of Shiv Sena engaged in cross-voting, but now more than a dozen of its MLAs have turned rebel. Informed sources say that the rebel leaders of Shiv Sena had told Fadnavis that they would support him if he wins the fifth seat in the Legislative Council on his own. Fadnavis won the fifth seat without the help of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs. Apart from three MLAs each from Shiv Sena and Congress, he also added MLAs of 15 independents and smaller parties, who were supporting the Mahavikas Aghadi government till now. It was only after this that Eknath Shinde and other MLAs got the courage to revolt.

So the question is, who is helping Fadnavis in this whole campaign? According to informed sources, he is getting direct or indirect help from Sharad Pawar or Ajit Pawar, because Maha Vikas Aghadi has a huge majority in the state and till some time ago the entire command was in the hands of the ruling coalition. Some time back Sharad Pawar had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was then said that they had gone to talk about the action being taken against their leaders and the pending names of the nominated members in the Legislative Council.

But it was only after that meeting that the equation started changing in Maharashtra. The command has passed from the hands of the ruling coalition to the hands of Fadnavis. Till some time back, Fadnavis seemed isolated even in his own party but now he has emerged as the most powerful leader in Maharashtra. He won an additional seat each in both the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council. First he gave a blow to Shiv Sena and then to Congress. Pawar’s party NCP did not suffer in both the elections and now after the rebellion within Shiv Sena, the possibility of him becoming the Chief Minister is visible.