Maharashtra churning may marginalise Sena

Hyderabad: Is Maharashtra politics entering a new phase? If the twists and turns that are taking place in the state politics is any indication, the state appears to be heading for troubled times.

The breaking of three decades of alliance between the BJP and Shiv Sena and the hectic efforts being made by Sena and NCP chief Sharad Pawar with enfeebled Congress which has only 44 seats could lead to a stressful alliance.

Analysts aver that BJP had perhaps severed its five-decade old ties with Shiv Sena after giving a serious thought.

Though for the present, it may appear that the saffron party has lost a chance to form the government, sooner than later, the Shiv Sena may have to face the kind of situation the TDP was now facing in Andhra Pradesh.

This could be one of the game-plan of BJP to marginalise regional parties. It must be noted here that the NCP has not only been out of power for long but also does not have any control over municipal bodies.

The Congress party had failed to stage a come back in the last general elections. Even in Maharashtra, it fared poor third.

The ideologies of all the three parties do not match except for the thought of forming government. Though Shiv Sena was in power along with BJP, it was never in control of anything.

If the three ideologically different parties succeed in forming a government, a major political churning could take place in the state at various levels.

In fact, the political fate of Sena itself would be in question. The Congress would find it very difficult to convince its minority voters as to why it had supported a hard-core Hindu right wing party.

Many a government's formed with alliances based on pursuit of power and not ideology had fallen as quickly as they were formed.

A recent example is the stressful alliance between BJP and TDP in Andhra Pradesh, Janata Dal United in Bihar and Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka.

AICC chief Sonia Gandhi perhaps is aware of such probabilities and that is why she is said to be weighing her pros and cons a little cautiously.