Congress and NCP leaders believe a political churning cannot wait, especially after their poor electoral performance in 2014.(In picture: NCP chief Sharad Pawar)
Top Congress and NCP leaders in Maharashtra are working to expand their secular credentials by exploring the possibility of getting onboard smaller regional forces and individual leaders to reassert their opposition space against the ruling BJP.
While the Parliament elections are in May 2019 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in November 2019, Congress and NCP leaders believe a political churning cannot wait, especially after their poor electoral performance in 2014.
After two meetings, Congress-NCP state leadership agreed to forge an electoral alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The strategy, according to sources, is to isolate the BJP by reaching out to all smaller parties across regions in Maharashtra.
From NCP president Sharad Pawar to former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, all appear to be speaking the same language of a pre-poll alliance between Congress and NCP. But the bone of contention that still exists relates to seat-sharing on equal terms.
Political managers in the MPCC said, “Pawar senior appears to have taken the lead to bring all non-BJP forces on a common platform across state and country. But the larger question which still remains undiscussed is whether NCP is willing to accept the Congress led by president Rahul Gandhi as big brother. Will the NCP settle for lesser seats compared to Congress in Maharashtra?”
Although MPCC president Ashok Chavan has welcomed Pawar’s statement of a Congress-NCP alliance, the Congress leaders believe they will have to tread cautiously when it comes to alliances.
A source said, “Getting the MNS onboard through covert or overt alliance to expand their anti-BJP front may become detrimental as it would hurt north Indian sentiments.”
Senior MPCC leaders said, “The Congress with a pan Indian outlook cannot afford emotive politics under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. It cannot be perceived as sectarian. A pro-Marathi or anti-North Indian politics, the mainstay of Shiv Sena and MNS, will not work with the Congress.”
Therefore, NCP’s efforts to woo Sena and MNS to consolidate anti-BJP forces will not work for the Congress, admitted leaders. They said the Congress will have to maintain its own distinct identity.
MNS with negligible electoral base at the moment can play the role of Hardik Patil or Alpesh Thakkar to create the anti-BJP sentiments and probably, Pawar senior may be working towards such an agenda, a senior leader in the NCP revealed.
However, NCP spokesperson Nawab Mallik said, “Our party believes in uniting all secular forces against the BJP. We are keen on a Congress-NCP alliance, which has been stated clearly by our top leadership.”
Sources in the NCP said, “Over the last three years, the BJP and Shiv Sena have evolved a political model where they both play the role of the coalition as well as opposition when it comes to elections. Regaining the electoral space remains a challenge in the next polls.”
On its part, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has given a stern message that his party would contest the next elections alone. However, a senior Sena minister requesting anonymity said, “Nothing is final in politics. We will wait to see how the situation develops ahead of elections.”
If Congress and NCP unite, a BJP-Sena alliance cannot be ruled out, said a source.
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