Maharashtra is at a crossroads. As 1.02 crore voters would use their franchise on November 20, they would not only elect 288 members of the assembly but also decide which way the state would move. The slogans were raised to polarise voters, communal and divisive issues were raked up, false narratives surrounding religious groups were made and political parties swooped down upon their rival in a no-holds-barred fashion, tearing apart all veneers of decency. The Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 will decide which path the state chooses.
The most vocal and vitriolic election campaign would also determine if the politics of Hindutva has enough number of takers. The electorate will also give its verdict on the real torchbearers of Hindutva. Is it Shiv Sena UBT under the control of Uddhava Bal Thackeray, the scion of Bal Thackeray who had declared in the most unequivocal terms that he did not care if the Muslims voted for his party? Or is it the BJP, the party that has changed the country’s politics by helping the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya and abrogating Article 370?
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The voters, who were once brought to one platform in the name of Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior who fought against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb with his limited resources, are also divided as they have to choose between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Shiv Sena under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who revolted, partitioned the party, and joined hands with the BJP.
Eknath Shinde has slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) for joining hands with the Congress, the party he has accused of indulging in minority appeasement. Shinde led the break-away faction, that joined hands with the saffron party. It is pitted against Shiv Sena (UBT). This party has diluted its brand of aggressive Hindutva and tried to reach out to Muslims, whom it had reportedly maligned and targeted for a long time before the party parted ways with its old-time partner the BJP.
In an attempt to reach out to Muslims, the Uddhava Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has raised the issue of unemployment, price rise and development in the state and the constituencies represented by the party. However, it has fielded only one Muslim candidate.
Other parties too are not different. Congress despite all hullabaloo over secularism has given tickets to just nine candidates, while NCP (Sharad Pawar) has fielded only two. There are 420 Muslim candidates in the fray, mostly independents.
The divide became more clear after Deobandi cleric Maulana Sajjad Nomani of the All India Personal Law Board urged Muslims to vote for the opposition coalition of Maha Vikas Aghadi or (MVA). He has also sent a list of demands, including an immediate ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
In what may be called an attempt to maintain the charade of political neutrality, Barelvi cleric Saeed Noorie said “we are not asking Muslims to vote for any particular party or alliance, but asking to come out to vote in big numbers on voting day.”
Will the Muslims bite the bullet? Will Maharashtra choose the diluted version of Hindutva or the firebrand aggressive Hindutva will be its choice? Will the voters go for “batenge toh katenge” narratives, as created by the BJP, or vote for “bijli, panni or sadak”? Secondly, will the largest minority consolidate to vote for the MVA despite not being given a rightful presentation in allocating tickets?
