In its efforts to find newer friends in Maharashtra and jettison its now-warm, now-cold state ally Shiv Sena, the BJP seems to be slowly elbowing out the former. This was evident from the fact that Sena boss Uddhav Thackrey went all out to meet the PM during his long stay in New Delhi recently, but he was served the proverbial cold shoulder, most likely on the machinations of party boss Amit Shah. On the other hand, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s recent tete-a-tete with the PM should be a clear signal enough: something is cooking between BJP and NCP.
The BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) polls are on the cards and BJP wants to win it in its own steam. To counter the Sena, therefore, it will need a powerful state party, hence the NCP. There are hums in the corridors of 24 Akbar Road that Sena will be shown the door and the vacuum will be filled by NCP. Plans seem to be that the PM will himself make an extensive tour of Mumbai, may be addressing constituency-wise rallies, of which six have already been planned in detail. And with Pawar and Modi having smoking the peace pipe, it seems Pawar’s covert support will buy him a warmer space under the BJP sun in the Modi government, may be in the Cabinet too.