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In the short span of one year, the BJP carried out ‘Operation Lotus’ twice in Maharashtra, dividing two major regional parties, the Shiv Sena led by Udhav Thackeray and the National Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar.
While some raise questions about morality, many argue, “All is fair in love and war — and politics.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party, the single largest party in Maharashtra with 105 seats out of 288, has often adopted newer strategies to bolster its organizational base to drive electoral success. In this context, exploiting unrest within regional parties for their own political advantage was a well-conceived strategy. They were conducted in both cases with sufficient consultation with the BJP central leadership.
In 2014, under the then BJP President Devendra Fadnavis, the party emerged at number one with 122 seats out of 288. A BJP-Shiv Sena coalition was formed with Fadnavis as Chief Minister. Five years later in 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 105 seats. But her alliance partner Shiv Sena (then undivided) He decided to cooperate with the Congress and the National Congress Party.
The Bharatiya Janata Party called this an “act of treason”. Two and a half years later, he orchestrated the split in Thackeray’s party with “Operation Lotus”. It was to avenge the betrayal and teach Thackeray a lesson. With 40 Sina rebels along with 10 independents on her side, it was The Bharatiya Janata Party expelled Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA). With Prime Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis as his deputy, he has given the country a stable government.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and assembly, Shiv Sena and the BJP have pledged to work together and contest as coalition partners. Thus the question arises, what is the need for the division of the National Congress Party and forcing it to join the government.
According to BJP President Chandrashekhar Pawankul, “BJP believes in political expansion. If anyone wants to join us, we welcome him. Ajit Pawar is a very capable leader both as a politician and as an administrator. If he along with MLAs wants to join a coalition Shiv Sena-BJP, this is an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and good judgment.”
A senior BJP official explained, “A split cannot occur in any party without sharp disagreements within it. Sharad Pawar’s policy wherein Ajit Pawar has been systematically sidelined with backlash. BJP has kept its doors open. There are also ideas from Congress leaders.” But we will wait for the right moment.
The BJP’s political directors admit, “By dividing Thackeray’s Sena, they ousted the MVA. They formed their own government to provide good governance. While the faction led by Shinde helped them return to power, they were still on A proven wicket at the electoral level. Especially in the western state of Maharashtra which has remained the stronghold of the NCP.”
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the NCP won 3 out of 11 seats in the western state of Maharashtra. In the assembly polls, the party won 27 out of 70 seats. The NCP’s total seats in Maharashtra are four out of the 48 seats in the Lok Sabha and 54 out of the 288 seats in the assembly.
By winning two-thirds of the NCP MLA led by Ajit Pawar into the fold, the BJP ensured a stronger alliance not only in the sugar belt of western Maharashtra but also in parts of Marathwada and northern Maharashtra. With the prominent leader Chajan Bhojbal at his side, the BJP consolidated the leadership of the OBC and gained a foothold in northern Maharashtra. With Ajit Pawar, Dilip Wallis Patel and Hussain Musharraf, the company is planning to forge deeper into western Maharashtra. Aditi Tatkare is bringing in profits in Raigad district.
With the split in the NCP, the MVA has become weaker. Although Congress remains the dominant party, it is grappling with internal disagreements.
The split in the NCP is set to change the flip-flop and combine Maharashtra. Traditionally, Maharashtrian politics has veered around two main fronts – Shiv Sena – BJP vs. Congress – NCP. But after the 2019 polls, it was BJP vs. MVA.
After the split in Thackeray’s party, the BJP got a new coalition partner in the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). Now, it has added another coalition partner, the National Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar.
Informed sources in Ajit Pawar’s camp revealed, “Ajit is blunt but articulate. He is ambitious yet committed. He felt twice baffled by his uncle Sharad Pawar. Once in 2019, when he was led to believe that the NCP would support the BJP alliance. But At eleven o’clock Pawar Sr. retracted. Ajit Pawar could not come to terms with Thackeray’s leadership in the MVA. For the second time, his charge as state party chief was dismissed. By making Supriya Soli the working chief in charge of Maharashtra, Ajit’s wings within the party were clipped.”
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