Maharashtra Civic Elections 2017: Unassuming karyakarta Fadnavis emerges as man of the match

Is politics about flair, the ability to sway the crowd, stir up emotions or is it about solid ground work and following up deeds with words? Very often, in politics where perception matters more than truth, we have seen style winning over substance. But Maharashtra on Thursday decided to make a clean break with history giving a clear thumbs up to BJP government lead by Devendra Fadnavis and virtually obliterating the opposition space in the state in the civic body elections. 

When Devendra Fadnavis was elected as the BJP CM in 2014, it wasn't an unanimous choice. He was the first among equals based on several considerations of caste, clout and proximity to the central leadership. He had several detractors in leaders like Pankaja Munde, Vinod Tawde, Sudhir Mungantiwar, etc. But over the spate of over two years, Fadnavis has consolidated BJP's support base especially in the urban areas and the party has even made inroads in rural strongholds of Congress and NCP.

A party which was a minor force in Western Maharashtra has now won in both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipality. It even won in Ulhasnagar where very few gave it a chance. In the last year or so, Fadnavis weathered the Maratha agitation deftly. A similar agitation in neighbouring Gujarat had cost Anandiben Patel her chair. While over time, the dissent inside the party has mellowed down, the clamour outside targetting Fadnavis has increased, not unsurprisingly from BJP's long time ally Shiv Sena. Politics is often a zero-sum game, especially when you are targeting the same electorate and Sena has steadily lost ground to the surging BJP across Maharashtra. 

Fearing that they may soon face political oblivion, Sena upped their ante in the last few years, taking potshots at Modi and Fadnavis at every possible opportunity.The battle for Mumbai was truly a fight for existence for Shiv Sena. While it has resigned to the fact that it is clearly the junior partner pan Maharashtra, it wasn't willing to give up their hegemony over maximum city so easily. Thus Sena spurned BJP's offer for equal share of seats in BMC and offered them merely 60 seats.  But now that the dust has settled, BJP can afford to feel vindicated. It has ended with 81, just 3 behind Sena,increasing their tally by 49. Out of 10 municipalities, BJP has swept eight of them, with only Thane voting emphatically for Sena. It is a distinct mark-up from BJP's 2012 polls, growing in strength from  party's impressive performance in 2014 general and assembly polls. 

For Uddhav Thackeray it is a sobering reality check. The party can feel proud at the fact that even after 20 years, Mumbaikars are willing to elect them. But their belief that they have a stranglehold in the financial capital is largely misplaced, and the tide is unmistakably turning towards BJP. Just like Aaditya Thackeray is heralding a new form of ground-level politics based on citizen activism, the entire party needs to change with time. With the city increasingly becoming heterogeneous, the demographic and social divide will help BJP to soar high.

Sena will hope that once the Modi wave subsides it will regain its past dominance. But Fadnavis is looking to ensure, that voters look beyond PM's charisma and vote based on their work at the state level. In Fadnavis, BJP truly has found its next major heavyweight CM who is able to hold its own amidst adversity and tough competitors. While Fadnavis has been gracious enough to give the credit on PM Modi and party cadres for the victory, this was a battle he fought alone from the front and won. 

As per results declared till 5 PM, BJP has won close to 50% of seats and has established itself as the unquestionable numero uno party in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray may sulk but Thursday's man of the match, is undoubtedly the humble unassuming karyakarta from Nagpur, Devendra Fadnavis.