Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
The fight for Maharashtra's chief ministerial seat saw yet another twist on Tuesday, 26 November, as Devendra Fadnavis declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party doesn't have the required number of MLAs to form the government, and resigned as chief minister after the Supreme Court directed a floor test before 5 pm on Wednesday.
Now this development has shattered a lot of myths. It has smashed the notion that the BJP's election machinery is fail-proof. In Maharashtra, the BJP's move backfired. Turns out there was a bigger player than the BJP pulling the strings in the state: Sharad Pawar. Pawar defeated the BJP in its own game.
The way the BJP formed the government in Maharashtra had raised a lot of questions in regards to the democratic functioning of the country. Ajit Pawar was also a part of this. In such a situation, despite not being in a position of power, Sharad Pawar still managed to turn the tables. It is only Sharad Pawar who can pull off such a feat. While the whole nation was praising Amit Shah’s 'Chanakya niti', such a move by Pawar was unexpected.
The SC’s Role
The Supreme Court can be credited for this. But the apex court did not question the governor. Instead, it eliminated all possibilities of horse trading.
When we talk about Ajit Pawar's resignation, there can be several factors at play.
It can be emotions, it can be pressure. Despite being angry at Sharad Pawar, if he submitted his resignation, then there's definitely some strong factor at play.
It can also be a pre-planned move in order to relieve the junior Pawar of all the investigations against him – he goes to the BJP and then comes back so because they don't have the numbers to make government.
This is a risk that only Sharad Pawar can take.
‘This is Not Goa, This is Maharashtra’
Sharad Pawar made his intentions clear by the lines, “This is not Goa, this is Maharashtra.” This phrase cemented the feelings of the citizens of Maharashtra, what came into play was the Maratha pride as well as the fact that Fadnavis was a Brahmin chief minister.
Whatever happened in Maharashtra has sparked several debates about the current political scenario. Simultaneously, the public witnessed the 'Rule of Law' being upheld on Constitution Day. So is the BJP's defeat in Maharashtra a way to balance the power play in the country?
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