Tussle over CM post, resort politics: How NDA, INDIA bloc are gearing up for Maharashtra, Jharkhand mandate

NEW DELHI: The BJP-led NDA and the opposition's INDIA bloc will keep their fingers crossed a day ahead of the counting of votes in Maharashtra and Jharkhand as they anxiously await the people's verdict in the two states.

Also See: Election Results 2024

With the exit polls throwing up a diverse range of predictions, both the camps are gearing up for all eventualities and possibilities. With some exit polls predicting neck and neck battle, the parties are busy preparing their Plan B, and even Plan C, to tide over the possible challenges that may come their way after the actual numbers are out.

Also See: Maharashtra Election Results

The Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents have decided to house all their newly-elected MLAs together in Mumbai after the election results. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the move is aimed at preventing poaching ahead of government formation. The Congress has appointed observers for both states to oversee the post-election scenarios. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge deputed Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and G Parameshwara as AICC observers to Maharashtra with immediate effect, while for Jharkhand, Tariq Anwar, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Krishna Allavuru have been named observers.

Also See: Maharashtra Assembly Elections Results

On the Mahayuti side, Ramdas Athawale, who is a Union minister and chief of RPI(A), claimed that Maharashtra's ruling alliance is confident of victory but is still in touch with several Independents. If the Maharashtra mandate is fractured, the state could see a flurry of political activities including defections and even realignments.

In 2019, the state was witness to one of the biggest political realignments over the CM post when the then-divided Shiv Sena dumped BJP to join hands with the long-time nemesis NCP and the Congress party, which paved the way for Uddhav Thackeray to take oath as Maharashtra chief minister under the Maha Vikas Agahadi alliance.

In 2022, the Shiv Sena, which was the largest party in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), saw a vertical split when Eknath Shinde and 39 other MLAs revolted against Uddhav Thackeray and joined hands with BJP.

The defection of a majority of Sena MLAs led to the collapse of the MVA government, prompting Uddhav to resign as CM.

Several political leaders credited Fadnavis for engineering the split in Shiv Sena. The BJP leader himself admitted to playing a key role in the Shinde-led revolt, calling it "an act of revenge".

Later, the the BJP leadership, in a surprise move, decided to give the post of chief minister to Shinde, whose rebellion helped the NDA return to power in the state.

However, the Mahayuti faced a major setback in this year's Lok Sabha polls as the ruling alliance was able to win only 17 seats out of the 48 seats, while the MVA won 31 seats, including one independent candidate.

When considering the possibility of realignment in Maharashtra, Jharkhand is not far aloof as exit polls have projected a hung assembly in the state with the BJP-led NDA and the JMM-led INDIA bloc involved in a neck-and-neck race.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's JMM, however, on Thursday junked the exit polls, which gave the BJP-led NDA an edge, and claimed that the INDIA bloc would return to office for another term with a bigger mandate.

Reacting to JMM's claims, the BJP said it was a last-minute effort to console their dejected party workers. "Only two days remain. JMM and Congress can pat their own backs, but the reality is that the people of Jharkhand have voted for a change this time," BJP's state spokesperson Pradeep Sinha.

Irrespective of the claims made by the party, there's no suspense that if the Jharkhand electorate throws up a hung assembly, as projected by the exit polls, the state may see a shift in allegiances.