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Across Indian states, citizens are being picked up by the police for unguarded comments on social media, and the arbitrariness of these arrests has created a climate of anxiety. In most cases to hit the news, those charged have been ordinary people, without the clout to incite mass violence. On November 2 2017, Meerut-based journalist <keyword id="5998011" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="afghan-soni">Afghan Soni</keyword> was charged with defamation and "computer-related offences" (Section 66 of the IT Act) for posting a "derogatory" video of <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> asking a rally about " achhe din ", and getting his response not from a crowd of people, but a herd of goats. Social media arrests are not new, and nor are they a uniquely Indian form of repression. The UPA-era Section 66A of the IT Act, scrapped by the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> in 2015, was broadly worded enough to book you if you caused annoyance, inconvenience, insult or injury online. In 2012 and 2013, a girl from Palghar, Maharashtra was arrested for criticising <keyword id="6371377" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bal-Thackeray">Bal Thackeray</keyword>'s state funeral on <keyword id="6354576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, another girl for merely "liking" that comment; a professor from <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword> was arrested for forwarding a cartoon about Mamata Banerjee; as was a man who tweeted about <keyword id="497730" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karthi-Chidambaram">Karthi Chidambaram</keyword>'s disproportionate wealth. But now, even though Section 66A is gone, the muzzling of speech continues unabated. India, like every other country in the world, places reasonable fetters on free expression. These include a threat to public order, dangerously stirring up religious sensitivities, caste slurs, defamation, child pornography, and so on. Other sections of the IT Act, including clauses on obscenity and morphing, are being used to arrest people like in the case of morphing of images, which may be a concern when women are misrepresented, but by itself, a morphed image in a political caricature or piece of satire is not an illegal or criminal act. Similarly, lying and cussing are human activities that also exist online; they do not inherently deserve criminal sanction. Even rumours are not illegal by themselves, the CrPC should kick in only in instances where they might incite violence or have other criminal implications. WhatsApp is where these tensions are strongest. Given that the technology can be used to make trouble on a wide scale, the police has good reason to keep an eye on the platform. But increasingly, WhatsApp administrators have been booked even for harmless remarks. There's a trend of using Section 144 of the CrPC, which applies to unlawful assemblies, to WhatsApp discussions. Curious are the cases of Indore collector who invoked it to deter any conversation about demonetisation, or the Varanasi DM who said that any false content on a WhatsApp group which were treated grounds for arrest. These arrests create a chilling effect on speech and the likelihood of someone, somewhere, taking legal action constrains you to watch your words more than necessary. Rather than a lively, democratic public sphere, we could end up with the hushed, wary conversations of a police state.

A WhatsApp message could get you arrested in India

A year has passed since the tiger stopped roaring. But does Mumbai miss him? Of course, the Marathi Manoos part of Mumbai does miss him every day, with every event and every political development. When <keyword id="6371377" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bal-Thackeray">Bal Thackeray</keyword> breathed his last on November 17, 2012, at the age of 86, Mumbai spilled out on the streets to mourn for the man who ruled the very spirit of the city. It is difficult to imagine Mumbai without Balasaheb. 
 
This cartoonist-turned-activist was Mumbai personified and sometimes transmogrified into aggression that an average Mumbaikar wanted to express. After he passed away, Mumbai had not only lost its voice, but also the spirit. Balasaheb had a finger on the pulse of Mumbai. He could never be wrong with the city or the people of Maharashtra. 
 
When alive, Balasaheb was a total mystery wrapped in contradictions. And those contradictions lie in his very personality. He was a chuffy man with a serious look, a tiger who sat on the throne, and a man who commanded thousands but was most humble when dealing with friends. 
 
In other words, he was human. He carried no pretentions. Just as the cartoonist he was when he worked with the Free Press Journal, Balasaheb evoked humour with every situation that touched him. And he had the capacity to laugh at himself. For this, he could contradict himself. Yet, his Shiv Sainiks did not grumble, ever. They followed their leader with as much loyalty as before, which was a puzzle even to his close relatives. 
 There are many real-life instances and legends involving Bal Thackeray’s reactions and responses to situations and people. His jibes were never short on satire. They were timely, sharp and always hit the bull’s eye. Even in his editorial in <keyword id="6358821" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Shiv-Sena">Shiv Sena</keyword> mouthpiece Saamna, Balasaheb was as powerful as he was with his spoken words. A true artist who had perfected his art of curvy lines and never let the guard dictate terms over his persona. 
 
Although he was referred to as the ‘tiger’ of Maharashtra, Balasaheb was more than that. The thespian of Hindi cinema, Dilip Saab, chose to call him a ‘lion’ who had the whole forest at his command, without having to strike his claws at anyone. 
 
But in the true sense, tiger was what he was. By temperament and by design. Just as the tiger never moves out of its habitat and protects its territory from other big cats, Balasaheb worked in the same way. 
 He rarely moved out of Mumbai. And when he saw Mumbai (then <keyword id="6356654" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bombay">Bombay</keyword>) being overtaken by outsiders, he launched the Shiv Sena in 1966. The idea was to protect his people’s turf, the Marathi Manoos (Maratha people), from the ‘outsiders.’ For that, he could reprimand anyone including the so-called stars with millions of fans. His political legacy was unquestioned and remained unquestionable, too. Even after his death, Shiv Sainiks have made sure that nobody would ever dare to question his authority. Remember the incident where two girls were arrested (they were later released) for their FB status – questioning the Mumbai shutdown on the day when his last rites were held? That was Mumbai grieving over its true son. It was an emotional moment that couldn’t be countered with logic or rationality. Balasaheb’s equation with his Sainiks was built on human bridges, over decades. It couldn’t come down with his physical demise. They still believe he is there with them for without him, they remain ideologically orphaned. He gave them their thinking and actions, and told them when to employ either of these. 
 Those who knew him had clearly understood he had no long-term goals to achieve. He did not aspire to be the <keyword id="5269" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Chief-Minister">chief minister</keyword> or occupy any position that would take him to corridors of power. He had clearly understood where his powers lay. He was powerful in his very being. Not even the <keyword id="6362177" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="union-government">Union Government</keyword>, no matter which party occupied the seats at the Parliament. Balasaheb was in power, always. In fact, HE was THE power. 
 
That he had no encumbrances had never been a problem for this leader who had shown his ‘human’ side to his men. But it was a problem for others who tried to fit him into a definition or tried to psychoanalyse him and understand him in a straitjacketed manner. Like a true cartoonist, his lines never came straight. They always curved to say something. That something was always between the lines. 
 That is why <keyword id="4952" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Michael-Jackson">Michael Jackson</keyword> visited him at his abode Maatoshree on the former’s India visit. And so did a host of politicians and Hollywood stars. Even though he declared that he wouldn’t allow India-Pakistan matches to be held in Mumbai, he also had the gumption to invite Javed Miandad to his house for dinner. When asked, he said he wanted the Indian team to have similar ‘killer instinct’ as Pakistani cricketers had while playing on the ground. 
 
His Hindutva was not as skewed as that of the Hindutva-vadis. In fact, he chafed at the RSS men calling them ‘knickerwallahs.’ He remained the uncrowned king of Maharashtra for 45 years. And unless psychologists dig deep into his persona, this legend called Balasaheb can never be understood through mere words.

Who was Bal Thackeray?
A mystery shrouded in enigma, simplicity

In today’s Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections, the average <keyword id="43677" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Voter-turnout">voter turnout</keyword> was slightly low. The voter turnout was 65% in Haryana and 55% in Maharashtra. 

	While longer queues were seen in rural areas, the voter turnout in urban areas was quite low, especially in Mumbai, where the turnout was merely 37%. The same trend has been observed in the past as well, where rural people demonstrated more enthusiasm and responsibility towards Indian democracy.<o:p></o:p>

	One must note that every major party was trying their level best to come out with flying colours in these elections. BJP banked on Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s personal charisma to seek political majority in two key states after abandoning its long-term ally, Shiv Sena. The Congress party broke off with NCP hoping that Sonia-Rahul Gandhi’s charm would help them win hearts as well as votes. And then there was Shiv Sena that asked people to bring <keyword id="53973" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uddhav-Thackeray">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword> to power and fulfil their leader <keyword id="6371377" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bal-Thackeray">Bal Thackeray</keyword>’s last wish. <o:p></o:p>
However, it seems none of the parties could convince people enough to come out in huge numbers and cast their votes.

Average Voter Turnout In Haryana, Maharashtra Elections

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: With <keyword id="6374198" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="BJP-President">BJP president</keyword> <keyword id="6355521" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amit-Shah">Amit Shah</keyword> issuing categorical instructions to the party’s Maharashtra leaders not to accept anything less than 130 assembly seats from <keyword id="6358821" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shiv-Sena">Shiv Sena</keyword>, the 25-year-old saffron alliance is likely to disintegrate, say observers. 
 Both Sena and <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> are said to be preparing to go their separate ways. The two parties have asked their cadre to prepare to go solo in the October 15 polls. The state BJP has convened a meeting of senior party functionaries in Mumbai on Tuesday to review the political situation in the wake of the aborted seat-sharing talks. 
 
As it became clear that the alliance was set to walk into the sunset, the two parties began the blame game. BJP state unit chief Devendra Fadnavis accused the Sena of bringing seat-sharing talks to a halt. “You can’t hold negotiations with a person who has closed the doors of his mind,” he told a Marathi news channel. 
 
A key Sena functionary said the alliance is dying an untimely death because of BJP’s Big Brother attitude. “BJP should accept the fact that Sena is a senior ally in the state... We accepted BJP’s ‘Mission 272’ during the LS polls. Why should our ‘Mission 150’ ruffle it?” he asked. 
 
 
 
 The Sena did make a feeble attempt earlier in the day to revive the alliance. A close confidant of Sena president <keyword id="53973" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Uddhav-Thackeray">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword> rang up BJP’s poll observer for the state, Om Prakash Mathur, suggesting resumption of seat-distribution talks, sources said. 
 
 
 Sena BJP leaders at their first poll rally in 1984. (Left to right) AB Vajpayee, <keyword id="6371377" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bal-Thackeray">Bal Thackeray</keyword>, Ram Naik, <keyword id="38062" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ram-Jethmalani">Ram Jethmalani</keyword>, Manohar Joshi and Pramod Mahajan. (Picture courtesy — Bal Thackeray: A photobiography by <keyword id="6355257" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Raj-Thackeray">Raj Thackeray</keyword>) 
But Mathur insisted on the party’s formula that the BJP should get 130 seats and the Sena could contest 140. The Sena president’s emissary did not get back to Mathur. 
 
Speculation was rife that the Maharashtra BJP may go for new allies, including the MNS and the NCP. However, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy scotched talk of any kind of partnership with the NCP. 
 
“Actually, we would want the saffron partnership to survive the present crisis and we are eager to contest the assembly polls as allies. This is the collective wish of the people of Maharashtra. However, should the alliance end, the BJP will contest the election [all 288 seats] on its own. There is no question of cosying up to new friends,” Rudy said. 
 
Thackeray’s Sunday formula, which earmarked 151 seats for the Sena and 119 for BJP, with the remaining 18 seats going to four smaller allies, has been rejected by BJP. “The party is over. But we have no regrets,” said a senior BJP functionary. 
 
Sena and BJP offered completely contradictory versions on reports that Shah had spoken with Thackeray over the phone earlier in the day and urged for reconciliation. While Sena rubbished these reports, Rudy said, “Shah has spoken to the Sena chief, and that itself indicates that we are very, very eager to have the alliance. We won’t pull the plug. We are hopeful a solution will be found.” 
 
 
 
 
Sources said neither party wanted to create the impression that it was the one pulling the plug. 
 
Sources in New Delhi said Shah had reiterated to Sena president BJP’s demand for 130 seats, saying the party was prepared to accept the seats which Sena had never won in the last 25 years. Sena is then learned to have improved its offer to 126 seats instead of 119, sources said. 
 
The state BJP, however, said there was no new offer from Sena for more seats. “There is practically no room for fresh talks with Sena as Thackeray has said in no uncertain terms that he would not offer a single seat more to us,” a BJP functionary pointed out. 
 Reports also said Uddhav had spoken to two top BJP leaders—foreign minister <keyword id="6355111" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sushma-Swaraj">Sushma Swaraj</keyword> and home minister Rajnath Singh—on Sunday to try and find a way out of the impasse. 
 
The saffron alliance’s fate was sealed at the BJP’s Parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, sources said. The state BJP leaders briefed the party president on the Sena’s “haughty” stance on seat-sharing and re-allocation of 59 Sena seats which it has been losing in five consecutive polls. 
 
Shah is believed to have told the Maharashtra leaders to take the final decision on whether or not to continue the alliance. He, however, made it clear that the party should not accept anything less than 130 seats. 
 
Shah is upset with the Sena for several reasons, it is said. First, for ignoring his “come two steps forward” appeal last week. Second, for rejecting the BJP’s 140:130:18 formula. Third, Thackeray announcing the 151:119:18 formula at a Sena conclave on Sunday in full media glare. “Seat-sharing proposals are not announced on TV channels,” remarked state BJP leader Eknath Khadse. 
 
 
 Fourth, for referring to <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> Narendra Modi’s ‘chaiwalla’ antecedents at the Sena’s Sunday conclave. Fifthly, for snubbing Om Prakash Mathur, the BJP’s poll observer in Maharashtra, by sending Aditya Thackeray as the Sena’s emissary to a crucial meeting with Mathur last week. 
 
BJP is keen on retaining the Rashtriya Samaj Party, RPI and Shiv Sangram Sanghatana as allies in the post-Sena era as part of a rainbow coalition of caste-based parties. 
 
Sena tried to put up a brave face in the middle of this crisis in the alliance. “Sena has survived many crises in the past. We will emerge stronger from the present one as well,” said Sena leader Vinod Ghosalkar, an MLA. 
 
Pooh-poohing talks of the MNS joining hands with the BJP, MNS leader Nitin Sardesai, also an MLA, said, “As of now, we would like to concentrate on the polls entirely on our own.”

As Alliance Crumbles, BJP & Sena Begin Blame Game

Shiv Sena may have shared power with ideologically-opposite Congress for the first time, but the saffron party is known to have cosied up with it before and posters with old pictures of bonhomie between their leaders Bal Thackeray and Indira Gandhi taken in the seventies were put up in different parts of the city. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took oath Thursday evening at the historic Shivaji Park supported by the Congress and the NCP. Besides late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, NCP President Sharad Pawar also figured in the posters. Those aware of its past, the Shiv Sena, known for its firebrand Hindutva politics, seeking support of the Congress and the NCP does not come as a surprise. From backing Congress candidates in presidential polls to not fielding any contender against Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule to even tying up with ideologically opposite Muslim League, the Shiv Sena has had a history of flirting with 'frenemies'. In the assembly polls held last month, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena bagged 56, followed by the NCP (54) and the Congress (48) in the 288-member House. The Shiv Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966, in its more than five decades long journey has allied with the Congress, formally and informally. In its initial days, it was often supported directly or indirectly by many Congress leaders and its different factions. Noted political analyst Suhas Palshikar in an article in the Economic and Political Weekly writes that senior state Congress leader Ramrao Adik was present at the first ever Shiv Sena rally. Dhaval Kulkarni, the author of "The Cousins Thackeray-Uddhav and Raj and in the shadow of their Sena", said that in the 1960s and 70s, the party was mostly used by the Congress to counter influence of the Left on the labour unions in the city. The party in 1971 allied with Congress (O) and unsuccessfully fielded three candidates for Lok Sabha in Mumbai and the Konkan region. Thackeray backed the Emergency in 1977 and did not field any candidate for the Lok Sabha polls held in that year. "In 1977, it also backed Congress' Murli Deora in the mayoral polls," said Kulkarni. So much so that the party was also mocked as 'Vasantsena', the army of the then Vasantrao Naik who was the state chief minister from 1963 to 1974. Palshikar writes that in 1978, when attempts to ally with the Janata Party failed, the Shiv Sena allied with the Congress (I), the faction led by Indira Gandhi. It fielded 33 candidates for the assembly polls. All 33 lost in the anti-Indira wave. In one of the most unlikely alliances, the Sena also allied with the Muslim League. Veteran journalist Prakash Akolkar, in his book on Shiv Sena titled 'Jai Maharashtra', writes that for winning the Mumbai mayoral polls in the 1970s, Shiv Sena also allied with the Muslim League. For this, the Sena supremo also shared stage with Muslim League leader G M Banatwala at Mastan Talao in Nagpada in South Mumbai, Sena's first chief minister Manohar Joshi writes in his book 'Shiv Sena-Kal-Aaj-Udya' (Shiv Sena-Past-Present and Future). If it was used by the Congress to end the Left dominance on trade unions in Mumbai, the Sena allied with Madhu Dandavate's Praja Socialist Party in 1968. The bonhomie between the Congress and the Sena ended in the 80s after the death of Indira Gandhi and the ties between the two were not the same. The relations only deteriorated during the terms of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and later Rahul Gandhi. Incidentally, Uddhav's son and Sena's Youth Wing chief Aditya Thackeray met Sonia on Wednesday to extend invitation to oath-taking ceremony. The mid-80's was also the time when the Sena tilted towards Hindutva and gravitated towards the BJP. The late 80s and 90s changed the character of the party which moved towards hardline Hindutuva. In the later years, the Shiv Sena, however, broke ranks from the BJP-led NDA and voted for Congress backed Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee in presidential polls. The equation between the Thackerays and the Pawars goes back to more than five decades both were fierce rivals separated by conflicting ideologies but thick friends in private life. Pawar often termed Thackeray as a large-hearted opponent. In his attacks, he would often call him 'maidyaacha pota' (sack of flour). Sharad Pawar in his autobiography 'On My Terms' writes that despite being fierce rivals, how he and his wife Pratibha would visit Matoshree for "gupshup" and dinner. He also recalls that when he was suffering from cancer in 2004, Bal Thackeray gave him a list of "several commandments" related to diet. In private, Pawar says, Thackeray addressed him as 'Sharadbabu'. In 2006, when Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule contested the Rajya Sabha polls, Thackeray did not field any candidate. "Sharadbabu, I have seen her (Sule) since she was a knee-high girl. This is a big step in her career. My party will make sure that she goes to Rajya Sabha unopposed," Pawar said quoting Thackeray's telephonic conversation with him. When Pawar asked about the BJP's opposition, the NCP President says the senior Thackeray told him, "Oh, you don't worry about Kamlabai (the BJP)". Incidentally, the NCP fielded a lightweight against Thackeray's grandson Aditya, who was the first in his family to enter electoral politics. He won by a margin of over 67,000 votes in the recent Assembly election.

Shiv Sena and Congress share power for the first time -- but they have a history of being allies despite ideological differences

<ul><li>Aaditya Thackeray's early counting showed a comfortable lead with over 75% vote share at 10 am.</li><li>This is the first election that Bal Thackeray's grandson is contesting in. </li><li>His father Uddhav Thackeray is the head of the Shiv Sena party. </li></ul> Sena candidate Aaditya Thackeray made a stellar debut in politics. He won the Worli seat with a 26,000 vote margin over his nearest competitor NCP's Suresh Mane. He has secured 87, 453 votes, as per election commission website while his closest competitor Suresh Mane got 21,393 votes. So much so, his party members have already started suggesting his name for the post of deputy CM as Sena and BJP have already started a war of words over portfolios. One of Maharashtra’s youngest candidates, the 29-year-old <keyword id="6380894" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="aditya-thackeray">Aditya Thackeray</keyword> is likely to win his first election, says an exit poll by Times Now. As per the poll, he will conveniently win from the Worli seat that he is contesting. A total of 13 candidates are contesting from the seat across various parties like NCP, BSP along with seven independents. Aditya has been playing an active role before and after campaigning as well. After he cast his vote today, he kept hopping from booth to booth across the city, meeting voters and party workers. He also urged the public to come out and vote in the several interviews he gave today. The son of Uddhav Thackeray and grandson of deceased Sena supremo Bal Thackeray started his career in politics nine years back as the Youth wing leader of the party. He soon rose to become a leader and has contested his first-ever election this time around, fighting from the Worli constituency. The party has strong roots in the Maharashtrian community which lives around Dadar and Worli areas. In fact, the headquarters of the party is located in the same area. His father Uddhav Thackeray who heads the Sena party, recently said that he sees a Sena member becoming the chief minister of the state, one day. Currently, Sena is in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party which fields the chief ministerial position. Many political pundits and public alike believed that the statement was made to coincide with Aditya’s political debut. But Aditya did not have a smooth ride. He was ridiculed for sporting a lungi, a South Indian attire, as his detractors cited his grandfather’s attacks on South Indian migrants a few decades back. He was also caught on the wrong foot endorsing the BEST bus service, and his refusal to address issues like a toddler slipping down the drain--did not go down well with the social media.

Sena scion Aaditya Thackeray makes a stellar debut with a 26,000-vote margin

<ul><li><keyword id="6358821" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="shiv-sena">Shiv Sena</keyword> Chief <keyword id="53973" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uddhav-Thackeray">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword> will be Maharashtra’s new <keyword id="5269" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chief-Minister">Chief Minister</keyword>. </li><li>This is the first time that the Thackeray family will pull its political muscle in the frontline. </li><li>The Union government imposed President's rule after all the three parties — BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP failed to form a coalition government. </li></ul>The new government in Maharashtra will be formed under the leadership of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP president Sharad Pawar said on Friday. Emerging from a marathon meeting of top leaders of the Congress, the NCP and the Sena, who are making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, Pawar said there was a consensus on Thackeray's leadership. "There is a consensus that leadership of the government will be with Uddhav Thackeray," he told reporters after the meeting. He said the meeting at Nehru Centre in central Mumbai deliberated extensively on finalising an agenda for governance. This is the first time that the Thackeray family will pull its political muscle in the frontline. The founder of the party Bal Thackeray had stayed away from active <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> though he did have a say even as Sena candidates like Narayan Rane and Manohar Joshi were Chief ministers of the state. Maharashtra’s political crisis Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, witnessed an unprecedented political crisis for the last 20 days. The winning coalition⁠— between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ⁠— collapsed despite a clear mandate in the assembly elections 2019. The Governor of Maharashtra rejected Shiv Sena’s attempt to form the government after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party failed to get an assurance of support from its political and ideological adversaries the Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian National Congress. The Shiv Sena indicated it might move the Supreme Court against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to decline extension of time sought by the Uddhav Thackeray-led party for submitting the "requisite letter of support" to prove its claim to form a government. The Sena, which is trying to form a coalition government with the support of the NCP and the Congress, had failed to secure the letters from both the parties. The Union Cabinet recommended President's rule in Maharashtra where no political party has been able to form a government after the assembly polls last month. Sources said the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met to discuss the political impasse in Maharashtra and decided to recommend to the president to impose Central rule in the state. With agency inputs

Uddhav Thackeray will be Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, ending the month-long political crisis

<ul><li>Maharashtra’s two-time MLA <keyword id="6511965" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pankaj-bhujbal">Pankaj Bhujbal</keyword> of Nationalist Congress Party is trailing behind Shiv Sena's Suhasanna Dwarkanath Kande from Nandgaon in Nashik district. </li><li>Kande is leading with 85275 votes and 44.85% vote share. </li><li>Pankaj Bhujbal has 71386 votes with 37.5% share. </li></ul>Maharashtra’s two-time MLA Pankaj Bhujbal of Nationalist Congress Party is trailing behind Shiv Sena’s Suhasanna Dwarkanath Kande from Nandgaon in Nashik district. Kande is leading with 85275 votes and 44.85% vote share. Pankaj Bhujbal has 71386 votes with 37.5% share. The NCP is in alliance with Indian National Congress (INC) this election. Both the two parties announced that they will contest for 125 assembly seats, each. Also read: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/maharashtra-exit-poll-2019-pankaja-munde-may-exercise-power-for-third-consecutive-term/articleshow/71715063.cms">Pankaja Munde trailing from Parli constituency, faces tough competition from Dhananjay Munde</a> Bhujbal, who is the son of the veteran leader Chhagan Bhujbal is facing a strong fight against Shiv Sena’s Subhash Kande. In 2014 assembly elections, Bhujbal defeated Kande by a margin of over 18,000 votes. Pankaj started his political career with Shiv Sena and switched to Congress party in 1991 after disputes with the late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. But soon after Sharad Pawar left Congress, Bhujbal also moved to the Nationalist Congress Party. The father-son duo had been actively campaigning for this election. However, what might go against Bhujbal this election is his ‘little’ contribution to resolve the challenges of water scarcity faced by the people in this constituency. Also read: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/chandrakant-patils-maharashtra-assembly-results-2019-in-kothrud/articleshow/71734771.cms">Kothrud could be anybody's seat now as Shinde and Chandrakant Patil head for a nailbiting finish</a> <keyword id="61754" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chaggan-Bhujbal">Chaggan Bhujbal</keyword>, who is also contesting from Yevuda defended Pankaj saying that “He has worked overtime to resolve the water problem. In fact, he ensured five times more water for Manmad in the last few years and spent ₹42 crore for water supply projects in the town.” The former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Chaggan Bhujbal was also accused in a money laundering case under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act. After two years of jail term, he is currently out on bail. He was arrested in 2016 by the Enforcement Directorate. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/dynasty-candidates-contesting-haryana-and-maharashtra-assembly-election-2019/articleshow/71734588.cms">Dynasty candidates contesting Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections 2019</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/drugs-money-and-liquor-seizures-grow-five-fold-in-maharashtra-and-triple-in-haryana-during-the-assembly-election/articleshow/71691582.cms">Drugs, money and liquor — seizures grow five-fold in Maharashtra and triple in Haryana during the Assembly election</a>

Pankaj Bhujbal is trailing by 13889 votes and 7% vote share from Nandgaon, Nashik

<ul><li>As of 2:11 pm, NCP is leading in 55 seats and Congress is leading in 37. </li><li>Pawar has campaigned extensively braving weather and rains during the election. </li><li>He might have a say in the next government as BJP and Sena continue to squabble. </li></ul> It is not all over for Sharad Pawar and his party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The incumbent coalition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena may have ignored this septuagenarian but Pawar seems set for a second innings for his party—even if it in the opposition. As of 2:11 pm, NCP is leading in 55 seats and Congress is leading in 37, which is much higher than that was predicted by exit polls. If the two together have over a 100 seats, they will be a significant opposition even if BJP-Sena win the election. Also read: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/bjps-parag-shah-the-richest-candidate-in-maharashtra-election-result/articleshow/71738932.cms">BJP’s Parag Shah, the richest candidate in Maharashtra, is leading with more than half the vote share in Ghatkopar East</a> Most polls said that BJP and Sena could finish with over 200 seats, but as of now, the leads are a bit short of that. BJP and Shiv Sena--the frenemies While BJP and allies are in a clear lead, cracks have started to appear in their already fragile bond. The state machinery of BJP which was riding high on the Lok Sabha mandate had all but done away with their five-year old partner. After multiple fights over seat sharing, both the parties decided to field candidates in sensitive areas like Konkan⁠— in regions like Ratnagiri and Raigad⁠— calling it a ‘friendly fight’. But the fight was anything but friendly. BJP openly defied Sena when they fielded Narayan Rane who has been the party’s arch rival for years, as their candidate to put their foot into the Sena strongholds. Now, if Sena continues its lead, they will have better bargaining power. They are not shy of saying it out even before the final tally, and have staked a 50% claim in government formation. Pawar’s proximity to Thackeray can waver angry Sainiks As this melee continues, Pawar may play a key role. Not only does he have enough seats to have a say in the next government, he was also a friend to Bal Thackeray, the Sena founder. There is an emotional connect as the late Thackeray has once refused to field a Sena candidate in a constituency where Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule was making a debut. It is one of those rare friendships which stood the test of time and politics. Few have ever gained from ignoring an old man agile enough to campaign across the state in rains. He put up a brave front even as he is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate and many of his party members quit right before elections. Pawar is one of those consummate politicians who has friends across the political spectrum including some high-profile ones in the BJP. So, the power of the opposition led by Pawar will depend on how much he decides to flex his muscle. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/maharashtra-state-elections-winner-and-leading-candidate-list-2019/articleshow/71739965.cms">Maharashtra State Elections winner and leading candidate list 201</a>9 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/haryana-state-assembly-election-2019-final-result/articleshow/71730556.cms">The final result of Haryana state election 2019</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/haryana-state-election-result-winner-list/articleshow/71738657.cms">Haryana State Election result and Winner list</a>

Sharad Pawar’s legwork at the age of 78 seems to have paid off

<ul><li>Shiv Sena president, Uddhav Balasahed Thackeray, has been sworn-in as the 18th Chief Minster of Maharashtra.</li><li>Thackeray, 59, became the third Sena leader after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane to occupy the top post.</li><li>Thackeray took over as chief minister over a month after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared on October 24.</li></ul>Shiv Sena president Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, sworn-in on Thursday as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, faces the biggest test of his life as the leader of an ideologically divergent alliance that took charge at a time of momentous political changes in the state. An ace photographer, he is the third Sena Chief Minister, after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane (both in 1990s), and the first member of the Thackeray family to hold the top post in the country's richest state. Thackeray, 59, otherwise considered an affable, mild- mannered politician, displayed combative traits of his father, Sena founder Bal Thackeray, in dealing with one-time senior ally BJP on the demand for rotational chief ministership just after assembly poll results were announced on October 24. He stood his ground and refused to budge on the issue of splitting the chief ministership, a stand that eventually led to the collapse of the three-decade old saffron alliance. After outmaneuvering the BJP, Thackeray will now have to prove his credentials as a leader who can navigate a new political path with ideologically different parties like the Congress and the NCP, partners in the Sena-led ruling coalition, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Though in politics for long, Thackeray has never contested an election or held a public post and it will be interesting to watch how he learns the ropes of governance in a state which is an economic powerhouse and home to the financial capital of the country. The Sena, a party identified with Hindutva politics and "anti-Congressism" since its inception, has entered a new phase where it will have to chart out a new course under Thackeray in the changed political scenario. Born on July 27, 1960 in Mumbai, Thackeray studied at Balmohan Vidyamandir and later graduated from the JJ School of Arts, where photography was his main subject. Besides being a published author, he is also a professional photographer whose work has appeared in various magazines and has been showcased at numerous exhibitions. Thackeray largely lived in the shadows of his legendary father before coming on his own after being appointed the Sena working president in January 2003. Thackeray formally took over as the chief of the Sena, founded in 1966 to fight for the rights of Marathi people, after his father died in 2012. Known for his passion for photography, he started out in the advertising field by setting up an agency called 'Chaurang'. Thackeray specialises in aerial and wildlife photography. He has two photo books to his credit, 'Maharashtra Desh' (2010) on the forts of the state, and 'Pahava Vitthal' (2011) on the Pandharpur wari (on pilgrimage to the temple town of Pandharpur). 'Maharashtra Desh' is full of breathtaking aerial shots, providing a glimpse into the cultural fabric, physical beauty and historical perspective of this wondrous state. A few years ago, he organised an exhibition of his photographs and Rs 10 lakh collected from their sale was donated for farmer causes. Like former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who started out in politics by helping his mother Indira Gandhi, Thackeray began assisting his father at a time when the firebrand Sena patriarch was aging and the party's sphere was expanding. He focused on strengthening the organisation and encouraged cadres to take up issues of farmers in the suicide- prone districts of rural Maharashtra. Thackeray sought to make the Sena, known for street politics and aggressive stand on issues of public interest, more acceptable to people outside its core voter base. After completing his journey from 'Matoshree', the Thackeray home in suburban Bandra, to 'Varsha', the CM residence in south Mumbai, the Sena leader will have to reinvent himself, according to political observers. He will now have to display flexibility and political acumen to deal with new-found allies and keep the coalition government going for five years, they said. "Despite being in government, the three parties are independent entities and would want to expand their respective political base," the observers said. "A political affairs committee would be needed to identify constituencies where the Sena and the Congress-NCP are in direct contest with each other and prevail upon the local leadership to work out an arrangement where political base of the three parties remains unaffected," a senior Congress leader said. While Thackeray has shown political sagacity and maturity till now, he will also have to deal with an aggressive BJP in the opposition knowing very well the former ally will try to make functioning for his government difficult, the observers said. "Uddhav will have to keep his flock of MLAs together," they said. Over 20 years ago, Thackeray was seen as a 'reluctant' politician, living a cosy life with his wife Rashmi and sons Aaditya (now an MLA) and Tejas at 'Matoshree'. But now that he has taken plunge into governance and managing a disparate coalition, a slew of challenges await Thackeray, who will be one of the most closely watched politicians in the country in these media-driven times. Since the Sena leader is currently not a legislator, he will have to get elected either to the legislative assembly or the council within six months of taking oath.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackarey sworn-in as Maharashtra's 18th chief minister

<ul><li>BJP-Sena combine win 161 seats, Congress and allies win 98 and others in 29.</li><li>Sharad Pawar comes back from the shadows to drive his party NCP to better-than-expected performance. </li><li>The seat sharing and negotiations will get tougher after Sena has made its stance of equal sharing, clear.</li></ul>The Bharatiya Janata Party-Sena alliance won 161 seats while the Congress-NCP combine won 98 seats. Independents and other parties managed to win around 29 seats, as per election commission. While the results came as per expected, it did not match the sky high expectations of poll pundits and other experts. A few exit polls even predicted over 225 seats for the BJP combine but NCP make a comeback under the active campaigning of Sharad Pawar who did not contest in this election himself. "Those who have rebelled have not done well," commented Pawar speaking to the media today. The 78 year old put up a tough fight by campaigning extensively even during rains, even as he was being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. In fact, a large number of MLAs and other assemblymen had quit the party right before the elections. Shiv Sena too won more seats than expected in 48 constituencies. It is now all set to make a significant contribution to the Maharashtra government. "We (Amit Shah and himself) have agreed on a portfolio number and we expect to stick to that," said Uddhav Thackeray speaking to the press today. His son Aaditya Thackeray won his first election in the Worli constituency with over 25,000 vote margin. Sena's better than expected win could cause cracks in the fragile bond between the coalition partners, as Sena might now seek a higher representation in the ministry. Poll analysts believe that Sena might now propose a rotational chief ministership and even the deputy chief minister's post. <table style="border-collapse:collapse;border:none;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt; mso-border-themecolor:text1;mso-yfti-tbllook:1184;mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"><tbody><tr><td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"></td><td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-left:none;mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">Won </td> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-left:none;mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">Leading </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> BJP-Shiv Sena </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">161 </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">0 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> Congress-NCP </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">98</td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">0</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> Others </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">29</td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> The vote share percentages over the last assembly elections however remained on similar lines. <table style="border-collapse:collapse;border:none;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt; mso-border-themecolor:text1;mso-yfti-tbllook:1184;mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> </td> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-left:none;mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 2019 vote share </td> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-left:none;mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 2014 vote share </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> BJP </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 26.2% </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 28% </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> Shiv Sena </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 17.7% </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 19.9% </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> Congress </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 15.6% </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 18.1% </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1; border-top:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor: text1;mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> NCP </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 16.7% </td> <td style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor:text1;border-right:solid black 1.0pt;mso-border-right-themecolor: text1;mso-border-top-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-top-themecolor:text1; mso-border-left-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-left-themecolor:text1; mso-border-alt:solid black .5pt;mso-border-themecolor:text1;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> 17.4% </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Maharashtra was once a Congress stronghold but few remember it to be so. Even fewer debate the ability of the ruling Sena-BJP government to come into power. In fact, all the discussion is around the number of seats that the ruling government will win. A few exit polls even predicted that it will cross 220 out of the total seats of 288. These numbers are mostly based on how the state voted in for the Lok Sabha elections. But in spite of being dubbed Maharashtra’s Modi, the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis a debutante has a new set of problems. For one, a lot has changed since Modi came into power—and not for the better. The country is growing at a slower pace, and many industries like the auto sector have come to a grinding standstill. The state contributes around 12% to the country’s GDP with its capital also being the country’s financial capital. It also bears the worst of the ongoing slowdown. The state’s cultural capital isn’t doing too well either as Pune’s auto component and manufacturing sector is at the receiving end of job crisis. But the Fadnavis government has done what few states could—in the last five years—reduce its debt <a href="https://www.opindia.com/2019/10/poll-promise-vs-performance-of-devendra-fadnavis-govt-in-maharashtra/">by around</a> 9%. Moreover , the state’s fiscal deficit also reduced slightly. The government also claims to have kickstarted many irrigation projects that remained stalled during the Congress rule. In fact, NCP supremo’s son Ajit Pawar was the center of a massive irrigation scam in the last decade. But, the ruling government said that it brought 13 lakh hectares of land under irrigation during the tenure. But not all farmers are happy. Though they are being able to produce more, they are unhappy with the government’s attitude to minimum support prices. In fact, not one but two large protests were taken up by farmers as they marched from Nasik to Mumbai seeking a bailout package along with price support. Sharad Pawar who is not contesting this time around but campaigned extensively, took it up as a poll issue. In-fighting with Sena The state government has faced many internal headwinds as well. The allies Shiv Sena and BJP are not up in arms. This alliance was forged before Modi came into power in 2014 when few knew that BJP would have a far-reaching mass appeal. At the central level too, BJP as a party is getting stronger and its local Saffron cousin isn’t too impressed with the treatment. BJP is also turning a lot more assertive in the state. It has put its own candidates to fight in Sena strongholds of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindudurg—which are traditional Sena bastions. In a ludicrous manner, BJP calls it a ‘friendly fight’. Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray is not impressed. Shiv Sena which was formed by his father, Bal Thackeray, is formed on deep rooted connections with the soil and takes pride in it. A national level party wrenching control of it, hurts it at many levels. In a rare interview, Uddhav said that being second fiddle is not what he has in mind for his party. He even said that he forsees a time when a Sena candidate would be the CM, and his more ambitious son—Aditya Thackeray —is also making his debut in politics. This infighting might break the vote as people doubt the long-term prospects of the alliance going ahead.

It's a bittersweet win for BJP & Sena in Maharashtra— fewer seats to take and larger egos to battle

The <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> today sought responses from senior <keyword id="6356617" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="bjp-leader">BJP leader</keyword> L K Advani and others on a plea against dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against them in the Babri mosque <keyword id="6367653" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Demolition">demolition</keyword> case. 
 A bench headed by <keyword id="42759" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chief-Justice">Chief Justice</keyword> H L Dattu issued notices to the BJP leader and the CBI on a separate plea filed by Haji Mahboob Ahmad, one of the petitioners in the Babri mosque case. 
 
 
Ahmad, in his plea, has alleged that CBI may dilute its stand in the wake of the change in the government at the Centre. 
 Earlier, the CBI had moved the apex court against <keyword id="48834" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Allahabad-High-Court">Allahabad High Court</keyword>'s verdict on dropping conspiracy charge against Advani and 19 others in Babri mosque demolition case. 
 
 
During the brief hearing, CBI today sought time for filing a fresh affidavit on delay in filing the appeal and on the merits of the case. 
 
The court allowed the plea of the probe agency and granted four weeks time to file the response. 
 
The apex court had earlier pulled up CBI for the delay in filing an appeal against the Allahabad High Court verdict. 
 
 
CBI has challenged in the Supreme Court the May 21, 2010 order of the high court, which had upheld a special court's decision to drop the charge against the leaders. 
 In its verdict, the high court had upheld the special <keyword id="6362306" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="CBI-court">CBI court</keyword> order dropping conspiracy charge against Advani, <keyword id="6361634" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Kalyan-Singh">Kalyan Singh</keyword>, <keyword id="42642" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Uma-Bharti">Uma Bharti</keyword>, Vinay Katiyar and Murli Manohar Joshi. 
 
The others against whom the charge was dropped included Satish Pradhan, C R Bansal, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Sadhvi Ritambhara, V H Dalmia, Mahant Avaidhynath, R V Vedanti, Param Hans Ram Chandra Das, Jagdish Muni Maharaj, B L Sharma, Nritya Gopal Das, Dharam Das, Satish Nagar and Moreshwar Save. 
 
Bal Thackeray's name was removed from the list of accused persons after his death. 
 
While upholding the special court's order, the high court 
 
 While upholding the special court's order, the high court had allowed CBI to proceed with other charges against Advani and others in a <keyword id="2788382" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rae-Bareily-court">Rae Bareily court</keyword>, under whose jurisdiction the case falls. 
 
The May 2010 order of the high court had said there was no merit in CBI's revision petition against the May 4, 2001 order of the special court which had directed dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against them. 
 
 
There are two sets of cases -- one against Advani and others who were on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 when the Babri mosque was demolished, while the other case was against lakhs of unknown 'karsevaks' who were in and around the disputed structure. 
 
CBI had charge sheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc. circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the IPC. 
 
It had subsequently invoked charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC which was quashed by the special court whose decision was upheld by the high court. 
While upholding the special court's order, the high court had said CBI at no point of time, either during the trial at Rae Bareily or in its revision petition, ever stated that there was offence of criminal conspiracy against the leaders.

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