A grand swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Cabinet colleagues at the Wankhede stadium might be the talking point now, but it cannot wish away certain critical issues simmering in the background. Without a proven majority, the BJP has laid claims to power in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena turning up in full force at the ceremony could be a sign of rapprochement, but even if Uddhav Thackeray chooses to sit in the opposition, the BJP can always bank on the NCP to stage a walkout when the time comes to prove its strength on the floor of the house. The immediate hurdle crossed, the game-plan could be to get disgruntled MLAs from the opposition parties to defect gradually, without raising suspicions of violating the anti-defection laws. So far, this looks like a wonderful ploy to secure absolute majority without inviting the compulsions of coalition politics. But in the process, the BJP will expose the cracks in its resolve to fight corruption. If the NCP is part of the BJP’s design now, the former can only expect to gain from this temporary relationship. Fadnavis, in spite of his clean image, runs the risk of colluding with the very leaders that his party’s leadership had vowed to expose.

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No doubt the Narendra Modi juggernaut has had a sweeping effect nationwide, inspired by the belief that the Prime Minister can turn the country, crippled by corruption and nepotism of the UPA regime, around. The kerfuffle caused by the black money issue has only augmented this feeling. But such optimism tends to overlook the wide gulf between well-intentioned promises and implementation. The treacherous world of politics demands compromises where ethics and morality are the first casualties. Recall that after the BJP’s drubbing in the Karnataka assembly elections, the party was forced to reinstate the scam-blemished former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa for the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP knew it could not have secured Karnataka without the support of the heavyweight leader.

Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister’s most daunting task will be to battle corruption that has been institutionalised in every government department and local bodies of the state. In Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, where the BJP is still in alliance with the Sena, builders are forced to pay hefty bribes to officials to obtain approvals. Compelled to cough up astronomical sums even for legal projects, realtors are contemplating meeting senior officials of the building proposals department to work out reasonable bribe rates. The 123% rise in corruption cases in Maharashtra, with Mumbai being the epicentre, in the first 10 months of this year, is symptomatic of the rot that has eaten into the foundations of governance. The Anti-Corruption Bureau has trapped 55 government servants till October. If babus are so adept at taking bribes, it can only mean that their political bosses are minting far greater amounts — and not all of that money is squeaky clean. If one goes by the assets of the newly elected leaders, the BJP has the highest number of crorepatis, followed by the Sena’s 54, NCP’s 39 and Congress’s 38.

There are 10 MLAs worth over Rs50 crore, and four with wealth exceeding Rs100 crore.

It’s too early to say how Fadnavis will shape up as the new helmsman, but it will be a huge disappointment for the electorate if he favours the status quo in the name of stability.