Shiv Sena eyes powerful role, Congress-NCP hopeful of survival

Will Maharashtra prefer Shatpratishat Bhajapa absolute BJP or deliver a fractured mandate today Five years after installing its first ever and fullterm chief minister the BJP has been eyeing the magic mark that will make it a formidable presence in the stateAlly Shiv Sena which stabilised the BJPs minority government expects a number that will make it powerful in the alliance so it can take what it wants from the BJPOn other hand a rebelinfested field has held out a glimmer of hope for the CongressNCP alliance in general and especially for the latter with Sharad Pawars party battling for survival and prideIn case the voter sends the state back to the 19952014 era of hung assemblies the BJP strategists especially Devendra Fadnavis who threw his weight behind a prepoll pact will be proven right Which is not a very unlikely scenario considering that the BJP fell short of a simple majority in 2014 despite a strong Modi wave Five years on despite being in an alliance it is quite clear that the BJPs sole objective is to leap ahead of the Sena and othersShiv Senas Uddhav Thackeray right with Devendra Fadnavis For the Sena the polls should be a new beginning after being tricked by its alliance partner BJP in seatsharing File picWhile the alliance prevented the juicy prospect of another BJPSena direct fight the campaigning phase made it clear that the ruling allies are still locked in a game of oneupmanship albeit covertly even as Pawar has thrown in all his might to keep the NCP relevant With these factors in mind it would be interesting to see if Maharashtra turns up in large numbers like it did during the general election in MayWhile the BJP campaign led by PM Modi party president Amit Shah and Fadnavis was a mix of nationalism development and Opposition bashing the Congress and NCP leadership wooed voters with a broader Lok Sabhastlye campaign The NCP added bite painting the BJP as a villain of vendetta politics for the Enforcement Directorates actions against Pawar 80 The ailing Maratha satrap found the energy to lead the campaign seeking sympathy and hoping to restore the 20yearold partys pride A fragmented Congress with its state leaders confined to their respective constituencies did showcase Rahul Gandhi and exPM Manmohan Singh but its campaign never really took off with Pawar remaining the face of the oppositionFor Shiv Sena 2019 should be a new beginning after being tricked by its partner in seatsharing especially being deprived of its urban strongholds in major cities Its first family has made its electoral debut with Aaditya Thackeray in Worli He is assured of getting a big role in the government and the youth leader should be keeping the Sena flock together More power will vest in him if the Sena gets most of its 124 candidates elected visagravevis the BJPs 164Among others Prakash Ambedkars VBA fielded 235 candidates including a dew strong ones despite criticism that the party is a BJP agent AIMIMs 44 candidates and the BSPs 262 will split votes in crowded contests Raj Thackerays 105 candidates arent considered as formidable as they were in 2009 when the party had 13 MLAs It should nonetheless dent the Sena in a couple of Mumbai constituenciesAfter making inroads in Western Maharashtra in 2014 where BJPs strong hope in Vidarbha got it 44 seats the BJP kept consolidating its position by first winning local selfgovernments and later inducting NCP and Congress rebels More than two dozen sitting MLAs were dropped to accommodate these faces to boost the BJPs electoral prospects at the risk of upsetting equations in certain constituencies Victory for the new entrants mostly sitting MLAs should compensate the BJP for losses elsewhere In all BJP leaders predict 135 to 144 seats for the party and dont expect the Sena to cross 70 On the other hand Congress and NCP are confident of at best a fractured mandate89 crTotal no of eligible voters in the state3237Total no of candidates across 288 constituenciesCandidates with criminal records96 BJP83 Congress75 Sena73 NCP49 MNS52 BSP280 INDCrorepati candidates126 Congress116 Sena101 NCP52 MNS155 BJPSource Association of Democratic ReformsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates