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<ul><li><keyword id="41515" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="thackeray" source="Orion">Thackeray</keyword> was known more for his photography skills, which led him to branch off into an advertising business – proving that he inherited his father’s artistic skills.</li><li><keyword id="6379318" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="uddhav" source="Orion">Uddhav</keyword>’s cousin <keyword id="6355257" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="raj-thackeray" source="Orion">Raj Thackeray</keyword> was expected to be the political heir, but he too branched off with a new political outfit.</li><li>The rise of Uddhav was just as dramatic as his end.</li></ul>There is one misfortune of being born to powerful and charismatic men, the constant comparison. Uddhav Thackeray has always been known as the son of <keyword id="44236" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="balasaheb-thackeray" source="Orion">Balasaheb Thackeray</keyword>, the founder of <keyword id="6358821" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shiv-sena" source="Orion">Shiv Sena</keyword> — even when he held the numero uno post in the state of Maharashtra. Also, it was a position that most people never expected him to hold — even when he made a stellar statement before the state elections in 2019, that there could be a day when a Sena member would become the CM. This was when Sena was allied with BJP, and only a few cracks had developed. In his younger days, he was known more for his photography skills, which led him to branch off into an advertising business – proving that he inherited his father’s artistic skills. Balasaheb was a well-known cartoonist in his younger days. Uddhav’s cousin Raj Thackeray was expected to be the political heir, but he too branched off with a new political outfit. This changed the power dynamics within and outside the family; along with Uddhav’s career. He had to wrap up his ad business, and join the family business — the business of power. It culminated in his elevation to the CM’s chair, making his own prediction come true. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A dramatic beginning and a dramatic end" comment="subhead" text="A dramatic beginning and a dramatic end">A dramatic beginning and a dramatic end</cmsannotation> And, alas, the day has also come when the doomsday predictions by Thackeray’s predecessor, <keyword id="6355042" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="devendra-fadnavis" source="Orion">Devendra Fadnavis</keyword>, came true. The rise of Uddhav was just as dramatic as his end. When Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was formed, he became the chief minister for merely a day when NCP’s Ajit Pawar broke off a faction to join BJP and Fadnavis. That plan failed too after yet another big man and NCP’s head <keyword id="6364749" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sharad-pawar" source="Orion">Sharad Pawar</keyword> took the control back into hands and placed Uddhav, the son of his friend – back in the CM’s seat. In the conceding press conference, Fadvanis used the choicest words to describe the alliance, “A three-wheeled vehicle which will move in different directions, and will fall soon,” he had said. However, Uddhav has kept his partners, Congress and NCP — his former adversaries, happy. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The dissent within" comment="subhead" text="The dissent within">The dissent within</cmsannotation> Dissent however brewed from within and Sena members felt ill-treated, slighted and left out after most of the Sena power center stayed within the family — Uddhav and his rising son, <keyword id="6380894" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="aditya-thackeray" source="Orion">Aditya Thackeray</keyword>. Not only did Aditya hold three cabinet positions, he also attended meetings of departments like MMRDA, angering senior Sena loyalists like Eknath Shinde and many more – as they rebelled against the government. As the rebels left, Uddhav made no strong-arm moves like his father would have made or even Pawar would have. He simply asked them to come back and meekly vacated the CM’s bungalow, resigning to his fate – long before he resigned from his post yesterday on June 29, a day before the floor test was ordered by the governor B S S Koshiyari, an RSS veteran. If the Maha crisis as it is being called is a test Uddhav Thackeray’s fortitude, then he accepted his defeat with grace that befits an artist more than a politician. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/maha-crisis-sena-calls-floor-test-illegal-and-malafide/articleshow/92546917.cms">Maha crisis: Sena calls floor test illegal and malafide</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/indian-credit-card-users-spend-40x-more-than-debit-card-users-online/articleshow/92543305.cms">Indian credit card users spend 40x more than debit card users online</a>

Uddhav Thackeray: The accidental chief minister

From political rallies to television debates to drawing room conversations, the Maharashtra state Assembly elections seems to be dead rubber. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who died in 1966, an election issue in 2019 and a lot of the media as well as the opposition seem to have fallen for the trap. However, there are enough issues which the opposition could have capitalised on the voter dissatisfaction. But as the campaign comes to a close, the dispirited opposition failed to offer even an alternate narrative, and has showed much less gusto in providing leadership against the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in the state. As the leaders dwell on the glories of the past, the state’s population, which is reeling between drought and deluge, is worried about their future. These are some of the issues in which the people of Maharashtra have suffered under the current establishment. Auto sector slowdown hits Chakan in Pune Maharashtra has been one of the worst victims of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/slowdown-plunges-august-auto-sales-to-lowest-since-1997-98/articleshow/71055961.cms">economic slowdown</a>. In Pune, hundreds of thousands have lost jobs in the auto sales drop resulted in slashing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-auto-manufacturers-have-laid-off-350000-jobs-in-four-months/articleshow/70563890.cms">millions of jobs </a>of both temporary and permanent workers. Auto sector employees who are amongst the most well compensated of blue collar workers, are now roaming around in the auto hub of Chakan in Pune—doing<a href="https://theprint.in/economy/in-pune-auto-hub-an-engineer-is-selling-paan-another-is-roaming-around-with-his-cv/290816/"> menial jobs</a>. Former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi was one of the few to point out to the issue. He commented that Modi is showing youth the moon taking a dig at Chandrayaan 2 mission, even as the auto sector “remained shattered”. BJP, in its manifesto, however promised one crore jobs to people, but lacks details on how they plan to reverse the situation, which only seems to be worsening. Burdened with loans and low support prices-farmers resort to suicides Farmers are in no better position either. In the last five years, around 16,000 farmers have committed suicides said <a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/india/maharashtra-news/elections/article/people-suffered-worst-16000-farmers-committed-suicide-over-the-past-five-years-under-sena-bjp-sharad-pawar/504721">Sharad Pawar</a>, the leader Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at his election rally in Anushakti Nagar. The septuagenarian criticized the government for not waiving loans of farmers who are hit by drought, even as thousands of crores to corporates are being written off as non-performing assets. The state government did waive off loans but it covered only 30% of the affected. These last five years have been tough for farmers in the state as they claim to be hurt by its policies which did not increase the minimum support prices. Around 15,000 farmers marched from Nasik to Mumbai not once but twice in the last five years—asking the government for aid. In fact, in a shocking protest in 2017, the state’s farmers emptied milk onto the streets leaving the government red faced. The state has a new crime capital in Nagpur The state also has another problem that is ballooning—increasing crime in Nagpur. The constituency of the ruling chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has turned notorious for organized and unorganized crime. On an average, over 700 cases are registered in the city which shares a border with Madhya Pradesh. Apart from increased organized crime and racketeering, the city has also<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/cops-got-cracking-to-remove-nagpurs-crime-capital-tag/articleshow/71283462.cms"> turned infamous</a> for prostitution, murder and attempted murder cases, amongst others. Fadnavis has been trying to turn around the extensive crime using stringent laws against anti-social elements. This started in 2015, but there has only been a slight change in the number of crimes. Mumbai’s creaky infrastructure Mumbai and its suburbs too have been many burning problems for which India the opposition provided only lip service to. The repeated lack of preparation leading to loss of lives during flood, which is a predictable annual occurrence in the city, has been a major source of discontent. The city’s commute has worsened in the last few years as metro and other construction have weighed only the already-snaking traffic. Even if one were to look at it as a temporary pain towards a better, it does not help that even the roads are filled with potholes. The Aarey Colony mess As the state approved the chopping of over 2,000 trees for the construction of a metro car shed at Aarey colony, a large citizen protest ensued but never turned into the poll issue it could have been. The protesting citizens were defeated in a court case and it sure left a bad aftertaste for those who detested the chopping of trees amidst a rising awareness around the terrible impact on the environment it would have. The protests were also diluted by a large number of people who came in support of the metro car shed as it would make commuting easier for millions of Mumbaikars. The opposition parties were conspicuous in their absence on ground over the issue and thus, it never took a political dimension. The dynasty debut The issues which find a pulse with young voters could have been handled by a young politician <a href="https://scroll.in/article/940621/behind-the-aditya-thackeray-campaign-in-mumbai-is-the-quiet-work-done-by-another-shiv-sainik">like Aditya Thackeray </a>from the state’s most-popular political family. But, seven years after the demise of the charismatic Bala Saheb Thackeray, his successors, including Aditya’s father Uddhav, have lacked Bala Saheb’s gravitas. Instead, Aditya got ridiculed for sporting a lungi, a South Indian attire, as his detractors cited his grandfather’s attacks on South Indian migrants a few decades. He was also caught on the wrong foot endorsing the <a href="https://rajkaran.com/aadtiya-thackeray-gets-trolled-for-his-mumbai-best-aahe-tweet/">BEST bus service</a>, and his refusal to address issues like a toddler <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/mumbai-news/video-shows-rescue-operation-of-mumbai-boy-who-fell-in-drain-2-days-ago-2068380">slipping down the </a>drain--did not go down well with the electorate. An acid test for the BJP government The politicians of the ruling party which is the BJP and Shiv Sena combine, seem to be taking it slow on campaigning this year. In fact, the CM Fadnavis also said that there is no<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/pehelwans-panzies-and-nikammas-maharashtra-elections-rallies-keep-the-drama-high/articleshow/71610174.cms"> pehelwan or a great opponent</a> this time. A lot more believe that this state election is a foregone conclusion mostly because the Parliamentary elections in April and May this year have shown that there is a strong BJP wave. Yet, a lot has changed since Modi came to power the second time. For one, the economic slowdown has become a grim reality and painful reality—which the central government has been slow to react to. Maharashtra’s election outcomes often mirror the general elections that have preceded them in recent years but surprises are born out of complacency. But for that, there has to be a credible intent, palpable energy, and effective communication from the opposition.

Maharashtra state elections 2019: These are the issues the opposition could have capitalised on but didn’t

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

NEW DELHI: BJP faces a tough test in Bihar, <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> stares at a saffron challenge in Maharashtra and regional outfits contend with turning pitches on 117 <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> seats across 11 states and one union territory where polling is due on Thursday. 
 
The 2014 Lok Sabha polls will be more than half over after elections to 347 seats are complete after the sixth phase of voting, with the 84, 91 and 41 seats left in the remaining phases. 
 
BJP and Congress are squaring off in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and state bosses like Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, AIADMK's J Jayalalitha and NCP leader Sharad Pawar are also slugging it out with their rivals. 
 
This phase will settle the fate of political biggies like SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj besides others like PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, DMK's A Raja and Congress’s Mohammad Azharuddin. 
 
The political topography is a challenge to BJP and Congress which need to defend turfs while seeking fresh gains even as regional forces like SP, BSP, AIADMK and DMK look to do much the same, with the difference that some now see BJP as an unanticipated threat. 
 
All of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat of Puducherry will go to polls while elections will be over in major states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. In Maharashtra the populous bell weather Mumbai-Thane-Kalyan belt will vote along with northern areas and Raigad. 
 The contests in Mumbai are keen, with Shiv Sena-BJP hoping to snatch seats from Congress-NCP riding on an anti-UPA wave and the diminished presence of <keyword id="6355257" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Raj-Thackeray">Raj Thackeray</keyword>'s MNS. 
 
 
 
 
Tamil Nadu is a fascinating mosaic, with front runner AIADMK losing some steam while DMK reportedly making a comeback of sorts and BJP’s unlikely alliance with DMDK, MDMK and PMK emerging as a force on its own. 
 In Bihar, a virtual eclipse of <keyword id="123462" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Janata-Dal">Janata Dal</keyword> (U) poses problems for BJP with the fight appearing bi-polar in the five seats in Seemanchal and two that fall outside the region. There is a sizeable Muslim population in all seats and though BJP has been winning Araria, Purnea, Katihar and Bhagalpur, it now faces elections on its own. RJD boss Lalu Prasad and Congress seem to be back in the reckoning in the state. 
 
Mulayam Singh Yadav defends his base of Etah-Mainpuri-Etawah, areas where he must score to check a resurgent BJP with reports from 21 seats in western UP and Rohilkhand indicating gains for the saffronites. 
 
Though support for BSP is harder to gauge, SP’s main regional rival seems to be feeling the heat with religious polarisation post Muzaffarnagar riots making several contests primarily BJP versus SP affairs. 
 For BJP, the stakes continue to be high with its prime ministerial candidate <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> campaigning hard, addressing rallies in Hardoi, Etah, Firozabad and Mathura on Monday hoping for significant gains. 
 
The Jat vote is a factor in just as Yadavs are expected to rally behind SP while Akbarpur has sent BSP chief Mayawati to Lok Saba twice, most recently in 2004. 
 
In Rajasthan, prestigious Jat-influenced seats like Alwar and Bharatpur are due to poll along with constituencies like Tonk, Dausa and Sawai-Madhopur. 
 
In Chhattisgarh, urbanising seats like Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur will be voting with Congress hoping to loosen BJP's seeming stranglehold. 
 In West Bengal, Abhijeet Mukherjee, son of President <keyword id="6359124" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Pranab-Mukherjee">Pranab Mukherjee</keyword>, is facing an uphill battle, with Murshidabad presenting the only bright spot for the party. 
 In Assam constituencies like Kokrajhar, that witnessed fierce rioting, and capital Guwahati are going to polls. In Madhya Pradesh, BJP veterans like Sumitra Mahajan (Indore) and Sushma Swaraj (Vidisha) will seek re-election besides Congress's Meenakshi Natarajan, seen to be close to <keyword id="5268" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</keyword>, from Mandsaur.

Lok Sabha Polls: Voting In 117 Seats Today; Congress Faces Saffron Challenge

Mumbai, Former Lok Sabha Speaker and ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar G. <keyword id="19952829" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="joshi" source="keywords">Joshi</keyword>, a senior <keyword id="19905334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shiv-sena" source="keywords">Shiv Sena</keyword> (UBT) leader, passed away following a heart attack early on Friday morning. "Our family is deeply saddened to inform you that <keyword id="20281058" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manohar-joshi" source="keywords">Manohar Joshi</keyword> passed away today morning at 3 a.m. following prolonged age related health issues," his family said in a terse announcement at dawn. Joshi, 86, was rushed to the Hinduja Hospital in Mahim after suffering a heart attack late on Thursday. 'Sir', as he was popular in political circles because of his teaching background and a stern demeanour, succumbed during treatment around 3 a.m., plunging the state political fraternity into gloom. His family said that Joshi's mortal remains will be kept at their home in Matunga to enable people to pay their last respects from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., and then taken in a procession for the funeral at Dadar Crematorium around 3 p.m. One of the closest confidantes of the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, Joshi had over six decades in politics starting as a Municipal Corporator, then Mayor, Maharashtra CM, Union Minister, then crowning glory as the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Joshi had been suffering from certain old-age related ailments for the past several months and largely kept out of public glare, but remained with the SS-UBT, till he breathed his last. Top leaders across the political spectrum have paid rich tributes to Joshi who headed the first-ever saffron government in the state comprising the undivided Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (1995-1999), in an era when politics was more principled and less unscrupulous. Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> condoled the demise of the veteran leader. "Pained by the passing away of Shri Manohar Joshi Ji. He was a veteran leader who spent years in public service and held various responsibilities at the municipal, state and national level. As Maharashtra CM, he worked tirelessly for the state's progress. He also made noteworthy contributions as a Union Minister. During his tenure as the Lok Sabha Speaker, he strove to make our Parliamentary processes more vibrant and participative. Manohar Joshi Ji will also be remembered for his diligence as a legislator, having had the honour of serving in all four legislatures. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti." Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, mourned the demise of Joshi and recalled his services to the state and country. Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM <keyword id="19905331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uddhav-thackeray" source="keywords">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword>, who is in Buldhana, cut short his political tour to rush to Mumbai to pay his respects to Joshi. Top SS-UBT leaders, including Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, Aditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant, Sushma Andhare, Kishore Tiwari, and others paid rich tributes to Joshi, and remembered his contributions at various levels in public life. State and Central Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray, leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi and other parties also condoled the demise of Joshi.

Manohar Joshi: The 'Sir' with a stern demeanour

<ul><li>The newly crowned CM of Maharashtra, <keyword id="193503" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Eknath-Shinde" source="Orion">Eknath Shinde</keyword>, called himself, ‘the original Sainik’. </li><li><keyword id="6379318" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="uddhav" source="Orion">Uddhav</keyword> doesn’t have to claim to belong to a party that his father founded. </li><li>A Saamna editorial compared Uddhav’s resignation to that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1996. </li><li>If a split happens, it would be the second one after Uddhav’s cousin Raj Thackeray split the party in 2006 to form MNS. </li><li>There are three deciding factors that will play a role in whose <keyword id="6394856" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sena" source="Orion">Sena</keyword> will be the actual Shiv Sena.</li></ul>To an angry <keyword id="53973" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uddhav-thackeray" source="Orion">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword>, nothing much has changed – a Shiv Sena man has exited the CM’s office and yet another Sainik has taken over. “You could have done this two and a half years back,” he rebuked in a press conference, about the BJP party head, Amit Shah. On the other side, the newly crowned CM Eknath Shinde, called himself, ‘the original Sainik’. Uddhav however, with his famous last name doesn’t have to claim to belong to a party that his father founded. Yet, citizens are concerned about which faction of Sena is the real Sena? <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Who gets the bow and arrow?" comment="subhead" text="Who gets the bow and arrow?">Who gets the bow and arrow?</cmsannotation> If a split happens, it would be the second one after Uddhav’s cousin Raj Thackeray split the party in 2006 to form his own outfit Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Shinde has the numbers on his side, with 40 MLAs while Uddhav has 16 MLAs on his side. If the earlier split is a learning experience, it’s not the numbers but the part that has the biggest backing can call itself Shiv Sena. It all boils down to which party gets the party symbol, the bow and arrow – will maintain perpetuity. While Shinde is yet to challenge Uddhav’s position as the party chief, the latter has one more trick up his sleeve – the Sena mouthpiece, Saamna. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Uddhav compared to Vajpayee" comment="subhead" text="Uddhav compared to Vajpayee">Uddhav compared to Vajpayee</cmsannotation> Saamna, the daily newspaper has been taking the voice of Balasaheb Thackeray to the lanes of small towns across Maharashtra for 34 years now. Its editor is Rashmi Thackeray, Uddhav’s wife and the paper has already pontificated the CM’s exit. The editorial compared his resignation to that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s in 1996 ahead of a trust vote after BJP emerged as the single largest party but woefully short of seats to form the government. They couldn’t get even one MP to come to their side, and that’s when Vajpayee gave his most memorable speech ever in a career full of poetic discourses. <div type="image" title="Uddhav Thackeray" msid="92612100" hostid="261" sizebytes="80740" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Uddhav Thackeray with Governor B S Koshyari and others.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Mandi saji hui thi, maal bhi bechne ke liye tayar tha, par humne kharidi nahin ki (A market was created, there were sellers too but we did not buy,” he told the speaker, amidst thumping of members. The editorial quoted it back. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Money, party workers and the split" comment="subhead" text="Money, party workers and the split">Money, party workers and the split</cmsannotation> There is one more deciding factor in the Sena split – the party workers. A few lakhs of young volunteers have been the strength of Sena and they have been lacking the personal touch that they received from Uddhav’s father. In fact, MLAs too have been complaining about his uppity nature which not only let his son keep three ministries under him, but was not meeting MLAs, and has been tight fisted about distribution of public funds as well. “MLAs receive funds from the government to spend towards their constituents. A lot of MLAs have been unhappy that Congress gets a larger share of these funds and that has made them weaker in their constituencies,” said a Sena insider who has been working with the party for over ten years. As less trickled out, party workers too have been feeling slighted in spite of the fact that “their party” rules the CM’s chair. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The Anand Dighe’s disciple" comment="subhead" text="The Anand Dighe’s disciple">The Anand Dighe’s disciple</cmsannotation> Shinde, on the other hand, has always been a man of the masses – having learnt from the best, his mentor Anand Dighe. The late Sena strongman was so powerful and well known in Thane as he used to hold emperor-style darbars everyday, solving big and small problems alike from troubles with neighbours to hooligans teasing their daughters. In fact, that’s the introduction scene of the recently-released Marathi movie ‘Dharam Veer’ which is a biopic made on Dighe. After members of a Brahmin society complain in the darbar about the nuisance created by a Thane dance bar closeby, Shinde dashes into a bar, hitting the offenders and bringing them to his knees. The Sena insider also tells another secret behind Shinde’s power – he is the moneymaker. In fact, he is richer than another Sena member Sanjay Raut, who is currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). “The fact that ED never did touch him in spite of how rich he was, shows that he was probably hand in glove with BJP for a long time,” the insider says. Both Uddhav and Shinde have arsenals — the former has legacy, a newspaper, and now even sympathy. The latter has money, men and the support of a national party — and now he also holds power. It’s left to be seen what people choose to go for — backing a winner or picking the underdog — both popular vote banks in India. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/college-dropout-auto-driver-original-sainik-ekanth-shindes-rocky-ride-to-cms-seat/articleshow/92592685.cms">College dropout, auto driver, ‘original Sainik’ — Ekanth Shinde’s rocky ride to CM’s seat</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/eknath-shinde-says-balasahebs-sainik-has-become-the-chief-minister/articleshow/92586373.cms">Eknath Shinde says Balasaheb's Sainik has become the chief minister</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/uddhav-thackeray-the-accidental-chief-minister/articleshow/92559485.cms">Uddhav Thackeray: The accidental chief minister</a>

It’s not the CM seat but the one who wields ‘bow and arrow’ will be the Sena head

Thane, Jun 11 () The local unit of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS on Thursday opposed the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC)'s move to take over educational institutes, especially schools, for use as COVID-19 care centres in the city. The TMC, since the last few days, has started taking over educational institutes, including colleges and schools, to convert them as COVID-19 care centres (CCCs) in view of the rising cases of coronavirus. MNS Thane and Palghar chief Avinash Jadhav warned the TMC against using educational institution premises as CCCs. He said once classes resume, students will be scared to sit in rooms earlier used to house coronavirus patients. "This will cause mental agony to students which should be avoided," Jadhav said. Jadhav sought to know the TMC is taking over schools and colleges when a number of marriage halls and hospitals are available in the city. "The government has reserved 80 per cent of the beds in private hospitals which the corporation can very well take over," the MNS leader said. The TMC has said they are converting educational institutes into CCCs to deal with the rising number of COVID- 19 cases in the city. COR RSY RSY

Don't use schools as COVID-19 care centres: MNS

(Eds: adding quotes) Mumbai, May 7 () Interacting with oppositionleaders, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray onThursday expressed confidence that the coronavirus pandemic inthe state will be curbed by the end of this month.The Union government was cooperating with the stateand Prime Minister Narendra Modi was easily available fordiscussion and guidance, he said in the meeting which headdressed through video conference. "I have been talking to you over telephone and seekingyour views. I am also reading what you say in the media. Ifthey are good suggestions, I ask the administration to lookinto them," he said."The Centre is also cooperating. The prime minister iseasily available for guidance on critical issues," Thackeraysaid. "Due to lockdown, the number of patients did not rise(drastically) in April. We need to take care in May. Thenumber of patients is growing in Mumbai and the government hascreated adequate isolation centers," he was quoted as sayingin a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office."The pandemic shall be curbed by the end of thismonth," he said.The opposition leaders who attended the meetingassured that they were with the government during this crisis,the CMO statement said.The chief minister appealed to people living incontainment zones in Malegaon and Aurangabad cities, which areemerging as infection hotspots, to follow rules, and addedthat local elected representatives should cooperate with theadministration.Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said oppositionleaders should help the farmers who haven't got benefit of thefarm loan waiver to get crop loans.The CMO statement said that Leader of Opposition inthe Assembly Devendra Fadnavis stressed the need to focus onthe situation in Mumbai and to improve the hospitalmanagement.There should be a planning to ensure the safety ofmedical workers, he said.The former chief minister also said the stategovernment should demand more trains for ferrying migrantworkers to their home states.Fadnavis also said that steps should be taken to boostthe morale of the police force, and recommended formation ofzone-wise expert groups for revival of industries.PWP leader Jayant Patil demanded protection foragriculture-based industries, while Bahujan Vikas Aghadileader Hitendra thakur said local train services in Mumbaiarea should be resumed for few hours a day.VBA leader Prakash Ambedkar said cotton procurement inthe state should not stop, while AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleelsaid that hospitals should not neglect non-coronaviruspatients.MNS leader Raj Thackeray said the State Reserve PoliceForce (SRPF) should be deployed in containment zones to assistthe police who have been working non-stop for two months.Migrant workers should be registered when they returnto the state, he said, and demanded that the governmentdeclare its lockdown exit plan in advance. MRKRK KRK

Maha CM discusses coronavirus situation with opposition

Mumbai, Apr 4 () MNS chief Raj Thackeray onSaturday said that the Tablighi Jamaat members who reportedlymisbehaved with women medical staff during quarantine and areengaged in "some conspiracy" be killedby firing bullets.He also questionned the need for giving medicaltreatment to such people.The MNS chief demanded that videos of such peoplebeing thrashed be made viral on social media, to instill senseof "trust" among people.He also said the people would have felt satisfied hadPrime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the current scenarioand where the country is heading at in its fight againstcoronavirus than the latter just speaking about lighting uplamps and candles.In his message to the nation, Modi on Friday askedpeople to switch off lights in their homes and light lamps,candles and switch on mobile phone flash lights at 9 PM onApril 5 to display collective spirit to defeat thecoronavirus.Speaking about harassment being faced by police andmedical personnel, Thackeray said, "We can see the policebeing attacked and abused when they try to control thesituation"."The meeting (of Tablighis had taken place) at Markazin Delhi. Such people be killed by firing bullets at them. Whygive them treatment? A separate section be created and theirtreatment be stopped," Thackeray told reporters here."If they think that their religion is bigger than thecountry and want to engage in some conspiracy...they arespitting at people, on vegetables, roaming nude before thenurses," he said.Thackeray further said that videos of such peoplebeing thrashed should become viral, which will instill afeeling of trust among people."The prime minister should have talked about it (inhis video message on Friday," he said.Reports have emerged that Tablighi Jamaat membersquarantined at a hospital in Ghaziabad misbehaved with thenurses, making lewd remarks and dropping their pants,provoking the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to invokethe stringent National Security Act against them.They are among the thousands who had attended areligious congregation at the organisation's New Delhiheadquarter, now being seen as a coronavirus hotspot.Similar reports of the Jamaat members admitted to ahospital in Kanpur refusing to take medicines and misbehavingwith the medical staff emerged on Saturday, promptingauthorities to remove female staffers from thereMeanwhile, the MNS chief congratulated the MaharashtraPolice for refusing permission to a Nizamuddin-likecongregation in Vasai last month, thus averting the potentialspread of coronavirus.He said the Delhi Police did not realise the possiblespread of coronavirus when the Nizamuddin congregation wasallowed last month.He further added that it was not the time to play theblame game."It is also not the time to talk about religion too,but the kind of things some sections among Muslims are doing,they be thrashed now."They should remember the lockdown is for some days,we are there then (after the lockdown is over), he added.Thackeray asked "whereabouts" of Maulvis (clerics),who he said otherwise ask community members about whom to votefor in elections have disappeared now and why they are notasking people to observe discipline.He said said the lockdown period may be extended ifpeople do not observe discipline, which will badly affectindustries and functioning of government, further leading toeconomic crisis.Thackeray praised doctors, police and other governmentstaffers providing water, electricity and food grains forrisking their lives to serve the people.He also said the peace being experienced in Mumbai atpresent was not witnessed even after the 1992-93 riots in thecity. ENMNSK NSK

'Unruly' Tablighis be killed with bullets: MNS chief

(Eds: combining related series)Mumbai/Chennai, Apr 4 () Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said there is another virus of "divisiveness" apart from the coronavirus as he and his Tamil Nadu counterpart K Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of this viral infection in the country.The appeal by Thackeray and Palaniswamy came on a day when their Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath alleged that the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, is part of a well planned conspiracy by people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month. The event in Nizamuddin West area has become a major hotpot for the spread of COVID-19 with the Centre saying at least 1,023 of the nearly 3,200 confirmed cases of infection in the country have been found to be linked to just "one place", a reference to the congregation.Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajeev Bindal alleged that Tablighi Jamaat members are moving like "human bombs" to thwart efforts by the country to curb the spread of coronavirus which has accounted for nearly 100 deaths."The Centre and state governments are leaving no stone unturned in the decisive fight against the COVID-19 but some people including Tablighi Jamaat members are moving like human bombs to thwart their efforts," he said in a statement.In a webcast, Chief Minister Thackeray, the Shiv Sena supremo, also warned of strict action against people who spread communally divisive messages on social media, in an apparent reference to hateful messages beingspread on social media against a minority community."There is another virus of divisiveness apart from the coronavirus. I warn such people that I will ensure that no law will save you (for indulging in such acts)," he said.Chief Minister Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of the contagion and requested people to avoid religious congregations and strictly maintain social distancing.The chief minister also urged all sections of people tostrictly abide by the new regulations and warned of "stringentlegal action" against those violating the government directives.Further, coronavirus would infect humans irrespectiveof caste and religion and it could affect anyone, he said."People should avoid giving communal colour to this(virus) and should not show hatred to those affected by it,"he said in a statement.Chief Minister Adityanath said people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi should be "caught" and their mobile phones seized to examine call details.The BJP leader alleged that the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, is part of a well planned conspiracy, the UP government said in a statement in Lucknow quoting him as having said at an official meeting."Be very strict with such people. Those who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event should be caught. Seize their mobile phones and check their call details. Examine their belongings and if anything suspicious is found, seize it. Pay special attention to the cleanliness and sanitisation of the places where such people are staying," Adityanath directed members of 'Team-11'.The team has 11 senior officials as its members and was constituted by Adityanath following the outbreak of COVID-19. MNS chief Raj Thackeray, meanwhile, said the Tablighi Jamaat members who allegedly misbehaved with women medical staff during quarantine and are engaged in "some conspiracy" be killed by firing bullets.He also questioned the need for giving medical treatment to such people.Speaking about harassment being faced by police and medical personnel, Thackeray said, "We can see the police being attacked and abused when they try to control the situation"."The meeting (of Tablighis had taken place) at Markaz in Delhi. Such people be killed by firing bullets at them. Why give them treatment? A separate section be created and their treatment be stopped," Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai."If they think that their religion is bigger than the country and want to engage in some conspiracy..."A few Tablighi Jamaat members quarantined at a hospital in Ghaziabad early this week allegedly misbehaved with the nurses, making lewd remarks and dropping their pants, prompting the UP government to take a decision tyo invoke the stringent National Security Act(NSA) against them.Similar reports of Jamaat members admitted to a hospital in Kanpur refusing to take medicines and allegedly misbehaving with the medical staff surfaced on Saturday, prompting authorities to remove fthe emale staffers from the medical facility. MR SA ENM NAV DJI GSN GSNGSN

Maha, TN CMs appeal against giving communal colour to coronavirus spread

On 14 April 2020, thousands of informal migrant workers put up an impromptu show of protest in the heart of Mumbai, India’s financial capital, during a nation-wide <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword>, which laid bare the stark reality of the struggles in this huge informal workforce working and living in the city. According to the January 2017 report of the working group of migration, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, the largest number of migrants during the last ten years came into the (UA), which includes Mumbai and Thane. The report shows that approximately 6 million migrants live in this agglomeration. The highest numbers are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, working in the construction and manufacturing industry. Post the incident, some government sources said that the migrants wanted to go back to their hometowns, others said that lack of space in the slums caused the unrest while the opposition claimed that the failure to produce a ration card did not make them eligible for getting essential commodities, which unnerved them. The bottom line is that the incident has exposed their restlessness and basic struggle for shelter and social security in such vulnerable times. It was a volcano waiting to explode. Social distancing and getting a one-square meal is a dream for these migrants who send remittances back to their family. To save costs, they take to slums where they rent up a shared space in a room or stay in a small-scale unit on a cot-basis, or a day/night basis, and use public bathrooms and toilets. Many others stay on construction sites in tinned tenements or pavements. Most never cook at home, and rely on local road-side food and tea stalls for their meals. All these arrangements crumbled when the COVID-19 lockdown struck, and the pressure heated up leading to gathering in Mumbai. <h1 style="font-family: Rufina, serif; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; margin-bottom: 16px; padding-left: 30px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 35px; color: rgb(22, 52, 73);">To save costs, migrant workers take to slums where they rent up a shared space in a room or stay in a small-scale unit on a cot-basis, or a day/night basis, and use public bathrooms and toilets. </h1>The question that arises is that despite being in such large numbers, why have these informal workers not been able to form a pressure group, or demand for better rights to housing or living in Mumbai. The answer has two dimensions, both of intertwined failures — political and systemic. The political fabric of Mumbai was formed on the issue of migrants. While native parties like the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were born in different eras, they both were formed on the anti-migrant plank. In 1966, Bal Thackeray, father of the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra and founder of Shiv Sena targeted South Indians and Gujarati traders, claiming they were taking away rightful jobs belonging to the people of the state. Four decades later in 2006, his defected nephew Raj Thackeray formed the MNS on an anti-North Indian anti-migrant plank, on the son-of-the-soil issue. These political outfits by their very nature wanted to do very little for these migrants and their inability to vote in Mumbai made them less significant. On the other hand, to say that the migrants had no representation would be wrong. Richer upper-class migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, who came into Mumbai in the early 1960’s saw this workforce as an opportunity and started cultivating them by bringing them into the city for labour in construction, road and infrastructure works. Most joined national parties and became politicians donning as slumlords. In turn they would give them space in a shanty and even procure a voting card for them, thus becoming politicians cum slumlords. The 1995 slum rehabilitation scheme that was brought in to make Mumbai slum-free, by monetising land and in turn providing free-housing for slum dwellers became a lottery ticket to a home in the city of dreams. This was the time the city saw more influx of migrant workers, who were tricked by slumlords into buying shanties for huge prices, believing they would get free homes at some point. The reality being — even 25 years after the scheme was floated, 10% of 12 lakh slum families have found new homes. In 2019, the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) government has upgraded the free component from a 300 to 500 square feet home. <h1 style="font-family: Rufina, serif; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; margin-bottom: 16px; padding-left: 30px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 35px; color: rgb(22, 52, 73);">In the case of large slums like Dharavi, the cluster redevelopment plan which was first floated in 2014, and has reached the tender stage three times, has not seen the light of the day. In 2019, a global tender was floated by the Maharashtra BJP government and the process stopped at the awarding stage. </h1>The reasons for delay range from misuse of funds, drying up of funds with the builder, delayed projects, inability to shift slum dwellers to tenements have been the common complaints. Also, many slum dwellers end up staying in shabby tenements for several decades, or end up in badly constructed vertical buildings (slums), with no ventilation or space, which has made slum dwellers averse to redevelopment. In the case of large slums like Dharavi, the cluster redevelopment plan which was first floated in 2014, and has reached the tender stage three times, has not seen the light of the day. In 2019, a global tender was floated by the Maharashtra BJP government and the process stopped at the awarding stage. The reasons remain the same — unexplained systemic failures. It is important to know that historically, the relationship of migrants with Mumbai dates back to 1869 when it was the capital of the Bombay Presidency, the port gateway to the West. Entire of Saurashtra, Karnataka and the Konkan regions fell under this presidency — so people from these areas inhabited the then Bombay. The East India Company also shifted its offices to Bombay, making it a centre for trade for the western peninsula and home to all its people. The partition in 1947 also saw several camps set up by the Government of India in Mumbai to settle Hindu refugees. It was only in 1960, when the issue of linguistic states division came up, that Maharashtra got formed away from Gujarat, with Mumbai as its capital. It is time to revive the same ethos in these COVID-19 times, and provide the migrants with food, shelter and financial help. Irrespective of whether these workers have ration cards, they should be allowed to access both the state and central ration shops. There should be common kitchen mess facilities at affordable rates. The state government is already providing shelters, but they could be located at different locations and near work sites. There could be a mass shifting of people out to private schools and colleges that could be converted to accommodation for labour. <h1 style="font-family: Rufina, serif; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; margin-bottom: 16px; padding-left: 30px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 35px; color: rgb(22, 52, 73);">Irrespective of whether these workers have ration cards, they should be allowed to access both the state and central ration shops. There should be common kitchen mess facilities at affordable rates. </h1>Most labour want to escape to their home states because of the lack of work, which has left them penniless. They could be used for COVID-19 emergency duties related to pandemic relief or even monsoon preparedness for the state. Many of them could be diverted for the upcoming nine metro project works that are going to begin now and kept on site with necessary hygiene and security. This could be done on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), the world's largest employment guarantee scheme floated by the UPA government, promising 100 days of work for a fixed remuneration. And finally, there could be a financial package declared in the form of a money transfer which could be given to these workers. While it seems very difficult to fix any of the abovementioned problems overnight, it is important that Mumbai makes a decision to accept migrants and slums as part of its fabric, and vice-versa. This article was originally published in the <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/informal-migrants-maximum-city-64959/">Observer Research Foundation</a>

'A volcano waiting to explode⁠'— the glaring plight of informal migrants in India's financial capital is making the Covid-19 pandemic worse

This Sunday, another cyclone – cyclone Modi – hit Maharashtra and Haryana, causing more devastation than any other cyclone ever registered in the political circle. Cyclone Modi inflicted massive damage to every party that came in its way, especially the Congress. 
 
In Maharashtra, the BJP and its allies won 123 seats out of 288, which is a massive gain of 75 seats. In Haryana, the BJP won 47 seats out of 90, which is an increase of unprecedented 43 seats. Notably, Congress was reduced to the third spot in both the states, winning just 42 and 15 seats in Maharashtra and Haryana, respectively. 
 In the last 25 years since entering into an alliance with <keyword id="6358821" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shiv-Sena">Shiv Sena</keyword>, the BJP had never contested elections in any of the 150 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. As a result, it did not have a strong organisational structure in these constituencies. In Haryana too, the party had similar constraints. In fact, BJP candidates had forfeited their deposits in 75 out of the 90 seats in 2009 election. Moreover, it did not have any strong local leader in either of the states. But cyclone Modi propelled the BJP to majority in Haryana and made it the single-largest party in Maharashtra. Hence, it won’t be an exaggeration to attribute this performance solely to the Modi cyclone, just like it happened way back during the days of Indira Gandhi, when people, influenced by her charismatic personality, used to cast their votes in her name. 
 Apart from the face value of <keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword>, the backroom strategy of BJP chief Amit Shah, too, played a crucial role, especially in Haryana. The consolidation of non-Jat votes contributed immensely in the victory, where Shah deputed Dalit MPs to spend days and nights in Dalit bastis. He himself campaigned extensively in the state, especially in the eastern region, where BJP won most of the seats. 
 In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena, which broke up with the BJP last month, emerged as the second-largest party by winning 63 seats. Fearing marginalisation after NCP’s offer of unconditional support to the BJP, Shiv Sena is now talking about forgetting the past and working together with its former ally. The Hyderabad-based <keyword id="140990" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen">Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen</keyword> (MIM), too, sprung a surprise, winning two seats on its debut. On the other hand, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena was fully decimated and it could barely manage to open its account by winning just a single seat. 
 
Whatever the critics have said in the past can be put to rest now. Modi is here to stay and the people are speaking, rather voting for him. With more states under the BJP government, the Modi-run central and state governments can quickly table reforms and policies. There are three more state elections in lurks starting with Delhi. Chances are high that the BJP government will clean sweep the next state election wave as well.

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Maha, TN CMs appeal against giving communal colour to coronavirus spread

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