INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: In a state where alliances can make or break governments, political stability can never be a lasting guarantee
Maharashtra is the prime example of this.In the last four years, Maharashtra has witnessed as many as 4 oath taking ceremonies due to
defections of MLAs or governments getting toppled.Live updates: Ajit Pawar joins Maharashtra governmentThe latest such ceremony took place
on Sunday afternoon when NCP leader Ajit Pawar and several party MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led NDA government.With Ajit Pawar's latest
move, it appears that BJP's political saga after the 2019 assembly elections has come full circle.Or in former CM DevendraFadnavis's own
words, the party has managed to complete its "revenge" after the 2019 "backstabbing" by Sena.The unravelling of MVAAjit Pawar's latest
rebellion has exposed serious cracks in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, a three-party front that was formed to counter BJP after the 2019
elections.In 2019, the Shiv Sena broke ranks with BJP after the election results due to leadership issues and formed a coalition government
with NCP and Congress.Though strange bedfellows, the ideologically different parties managed to work out a common minimum programme in their
bid to keep BJP out of power.The BJP, which had emerged as the single largest party in the 2019 elections, was left licking its wounds after
the "betrayal" from Sena.The MVA managed to hold its fort for the first few years despite a few flashpoints here and there.Vertical split in
SenaHowever, in 2022, the Shiv Sena, which was the largest party in MVA, saw a vertical split when Eknath Shinde and 39 other MLAs revolted
against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and joined hands with BJP
The defection of a majority of Sena MLAs led to the collpase of the MVA government, prompting Uddhav to resign as CM
Shinde then formed a Shiv Sena-BJP government with former CM Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy
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".NCP rebellion Months later,
the NCP is now experiencing a similar crisis after Ajit Pawar and at least 8 other MLAs took oath as ministers in the Maharashtra
government.The junior Pawar has said that almost all MLAs from his party will support the Maharashtra government, even though his uncle
Sharad Pawar has played down these claims.04:38'Double engine govt now triple engine,' says Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde as Ajit
Pawar takes oath as Deputy CMAs per sources, Supriya Sule's elevation in the party expedited Ajit Pawar's decision to join the ruling
BJP-Shiv Sena alliance.The induction of Ajit Pawar is expected to solidify BJP's position in the Maharashtra government
If the junior Pawar manages to bring more NCP MLAs into the fold, BJP can play hardball with the Shinde-led Sena faction and even push for a
chief ministerial post for FadnavisAs the political developments unfold in the coming days, for now, it's effectively a BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP
government at the helm, 3 years after a Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP government took charge
WatchFirst Shiv Sena, now NCP: Here is how BJP turned the tables on MVA in Maharashtra
