Post UP poll results, Congress and Shiv Sena feel 'Maha' jitters

MUMBAI: If the local body polls in Maharashtra – where the BJP performed exceedingly well – were a wake-up call for the Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena, then the UP assembly election results has sent these parties into a deep depression.

UP results have sent jitters particularly among the leadership of the Congress and NCP. “It is how they won and how we lost in our own pocket boroughs like Amethi that is not a cause for concern. Unless we drastically change the way we function, then it would be difficult for us to stop the BJP from coming to power in Maharashtra again in 2019,” said a Maharashtra Congress leader.

He added the party in Maharashtra needs a credible and strong face to take on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “These are the guys who are pulling in votes for the BJP. We need credible leaders in the party,” he said.

Sources in the Congress said they have been trying to impress on the leadership for a complete rehaul of the Maharashtra unit of the Congress starting from replacing the Maharashtra and Mumbai chiefs of the party. Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan heads the Maharashtra unit while Sanjay Nirupam heads the Mumbai unit of the Congress.

The NCP leadership too is feeling the heat as a huge section of party MLAs are feeling restless without power and want to jump over to the BJP. In fact, the plan ‘B’ that was talked about in the BJP in case the Shiv Sena went ahead with its threat to withdraw support to the Fadnavis government was that a section of NCP MLAs would break away from the party and support the BJP government. Incidentally, many of the NCP leaders joined the BJP before the 2014 polls expecting that their party won’t come to power.

The Sena too is concerned with the UP results as it has seen how an aggressive BJP is making inroads in states and is finishing off regional parties. For now, however, its hands are tied, it relies on BJP support in the BMC, which is a huge cash cow for the party, while in return it supports the BJP in the government.

Political analyst Kumar Ketkar said the problem for parties like the Congress and NCP is that their leaders have ‘lost connect with the people’. “The Congress and NCP are shaky now because they have lost touch with the people. It’s been decades now where they have not gone and worked among the people,” said Ketkar. “The elections in UP are a grim signal to them (Congress and NCP). All this while, they have been only managing to get elected through money and muscle power. They would have to get their kurtas dirty by working among the people,” he said.

“In the local body polls, Rane managed to safeguard Sindhudurg and ensured a Congress victory there. He is aggressive and the Congress could benefit from it,” said Ketkar.