Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ minority BJP government has won a confidence motion in the Maharashtra Assembly through a voice vote amid much hullabaloo. However, Congress and Shiv Sena accused the speaker of being biased towards BJP and demanded that the government should prove majority again. The so-called lawmakers want citizens to exercise their right to vote compulsorily while they abstain from voting even when it is crucial from the point of view of signifying their principle stand. Many leaders couldn’t mark their presence which helped BJP to sail through. This is a victory not only for Fadnavis but also for the political intelligence of Modi-Shah combination. A well-thought-out strategy, the Shiv Sena was forced to be just the rumble in the clouds without any rain. Old version of the BJP was different from Congress in ethics and morality but the present BJP has brought a blow to its name, fame and glory. Today, the CM Fadnavis should have gone for voting (not by voice) and proved his majority which would have added to his good name he has earned so far. This tactic may not be a good beginning for CM Fadnavis in power politics, but that does not mean that he will not succeed in his tenure. Maharashtra needs facelift and BJP has plans towards better Maharashtra.
AAP somewhat was in the same situation in Delhi. They had to compromise on various fronts being minority government. Finally, lobbying by opposition in the house made them quit and shift their focus. There AAP was not the single largest party. BJP was the largest party. Unfortunately, in our country with multi-party system arise these types of situations many times. BJP is trying something different by not bending down to allies’ demands. They do not simply want to share the power with spoilers; rather they want to run a proper government that is not compromised. On this, I believe BJP and AAP are similar in their intention.
In a rare consonance, the two parties Congress and Shiv Sena have demanded a fresh trust vote. They contend that the BJP did not have the numbers to prove its majority on the floor of the house through a division vote and have said they will approach the governor. The floor test was brought swiftly forward, ahead of the election of the Leader of Opposition rather than after as was scheduled. The Shiv Sena’s legislators shouted the loudest nays, voting against the BJP and signalling the end to a fractious relationship. It was not clear how Sharad Pawar’s NCP voted. The decision to avoid a division vote is being seen as an attempt to not bring on record the possibility of the NCP voting for the BJP or abstaining from the vote. Sharad Pawar’s NCP has offered external support to Fadnavis, to “ensure a stable government”.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that has time and again offered unilateral support to the newly-elected BJP Government in Maharashtra during the trust motion reiterated that it will ensure that the State has a stable Government. The half way mark is 144. The BJP has 122 seats and with the support of the NCP and the lone MNS representative, the tally goes to 164, 20 more than the majority figure.
Earlier in the day, BJP legislator Haribhau Bagde was elected unopposed as Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly after Shiv Sena and Congress candidates withdrew their nominations. Bagade’s name was announced by Protem Speaker Jiva Pandu Gavit in the newly-constituted Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Congress and Shiv Sena accused the speaker Haribhau Bagade of being biased towards BJP and demanded that the government should prove majority again. Shiv Sena MLAs led by opposition leader Eknath Shinde registered protest over the confidence motion being passed by voice vote and said it amounted to “strangling democracy”. People of Maharashtra has given the majority votes for forming a government with the support of SS, if need be, and not with the support of NCP or Congress, both proven corrupt parties. Having won the trust vote, the BJP should now concentrate on reconciliation with SS and take them along before the BJP loses the credibility further.
