Leadership vacuum

Gopinath Munde’s death in a car accident in Delhi on Tuesday morning is a big blow to the BJP. Maharashtra is charged up for the assembly elections in October and the sudden demise of Munde, a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post, is most likely to affect the party’s unchallenged position.

In the last few days, there has been an unprecedented frenzy over the CM’s post — a trend that has left seasoned political observers astounded. Both the Shiv Sena and the MNS have sprung surprises by naming Uddhav Thackeray and Raj as claimants for the top slot. The Thackeray clan has finally done away with the long tradition of playing kingmakers as the warring brothers are all set to enter the battlefield as vote-seeking candidates.

Even a couple of days ago, the heat and bluster generated by the Thackeray family had failed to perturb Munde. Though inducted in the Modi Cabinet as Union Minister for Rural Development, the five-time MLA, was more keen on leading the BJP’s assembly poll campaign. It had been his long-cherished dream to helm the state administration, having come within sniffing distance of power earlier as deputy chief minister. Inspired by the sweeping victory in UP where the BJP’s social engineering had routed the BSP, Munde had been projected as the party’s OBC face in the hope of a similar windfall. If his growing political clout was any indication, he too was living up to the expectations. The combined factors of a Modi wave and wholesale disillusionment with the incumbent Congress-NCP government had almost paved the way for Munde’s ascent.

Now both the Sena and the MNS will try to make the most of the BJP’s leadership vacuum. The Sena’s rocky relationship with the BJP is a much publicised affair, but naming party supremo Uddhav as the Chief Minister, without consulting the dominant partner, can be construed as an extreme step. In the aftermath of the declaration, the BJP had snubbed the Sena, making it amply clear that it will not give in to such arm-twisting. Understandably, the BJP, which is now ruling the roost, would want to dictate terms with the ambition of harvesting maximum gains in the state.

If an obdurate Sena forces the BJP to walk away from the alliance, the MNS can hope to revive its political fortunes. Raj’s decision of contesting the assembly polls is informed by a desperation following his party’s dismal show in  Parliamentary elections. Without the Modi magic, the Sena has little to show in the vastly altered political scenario. For Raj, however, a little push from the BJP can turn the tide in his party’s favour. He will, of course, have to forgo chief ministerial ambitions — in any case he knows it’s impossible for him at this juncture to gun for the top job. Since he has a well-wisher in Nitin Gadkari, who hasn’t given up hope on a saffron combine with the MNS as an integral part, a pre-poll pact with the BJP may not be far-fetched.

For the BJP, however, its immediate task is to look for a leader best suited to carry out the job that Munde had been assigned. Maharashtra is virtually for the BJP to take if the party fields the right candidates.