There is no doubt that the alliance in Maharashtra has been built on very shaky ground, by political parties that are ideologically opposed to each other. Just hours before Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray could be sworn in as chief minister, the common minimum programme by which the alliance will work, was released, and the very first sentence underlined just how diametrically opposite are the views of the three parties. It lists out what the government will do on farmers’ issues, unemployment, health, industry, social justice, women, education, urban development, tourism art and culture, many of the proposal are those promised by Congress during the campaign, but most iportantly, the three parties have assured to provide a secular government to Maharashtra.
The preamble to the CMP states, “The alliance partners commit to uphold the secular values enshrined in the Constitution. On the contentious issue of national importance especially having repercussions/consequences on the secular fabric of the nation, the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress will take a joint view after holding consultations and arriving at a consensus.” This affirmation is a telling comment on the delicate balance that the three parties are trying to strike in this alliance, that until days ago appeared impossible. The big question is whether the alliance will now do the next impossible, which is providing a government for a full five year term, or will it break up long before that.
Ideologically, Shiv Sena the major partner in the alliance, and holding the chief minister’s post, has nothing in common with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. Shiv Sena has traditionally been a right-wing formation, often taking the hard line on issues, while Congress and the NCP, which is an offshoot of the INC, have paddled the centre tone. This, therefore, is an alliance that brings the right with the centre, and it will be interesting to see how the parties will manage to come to agreement on a large number of issues. Governance apart, which the alliance will provide, the country has been polarised to a certain extent, and it is mending fences that this alliance would be called upon to do. How the parties react when they face such a situation, which they surely will in the months to come, is the million dollar question.
It’s a tough balancing act that Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister will have to perform. He has neither experience in government, nor in legislature. When he stands to face the opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, he will be taking on an entirely new role, which he did admit he had not dreamt of, that is leading the State. There is a vast difference between heading the Sena, where his writ runs large, and chairing a cabinet meeting with allies who may not always be on the same page. He will have to discover how to arrive at a compromise with his allies and remind himself constantly that this is a government he is heading and not the Shiv Sena.
Congress and NCP as junior partners in the alliance, but together with bigger numbers in the government, will have a major role to play in the coming months and years. Their role will not be restricted to the government lasting a full term, but both parties will have to ensure that all sections of Maharashtra are included in governance and programmes, and that nobody feels left out. If they manage that, this coming together of ideologically opposite parties could be an experiment that may even work in the future. Imagine various States being governed by a combination of the right and the centre. There have been left parties and centre together at various times, but this is the first instance of the right wing joining hands with the centre.
