The failed experiment of installing the Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government in 2019 was in shadow Tuesday as the former Maharashtra chief minister got into a huddle with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda in the national capital to discuss the next steps in the state's nail-biting political crisis, where Uddhav Thackeray's exit seems days away.
BJP prefers a cautious approach this time around, wary of its efforts in the past to form a government with a seemingly breakaway faction of NCP. Clearly, the top leadership does not want to take any chances and will move forward after being assured of legal implications as the matter has now reached the Supreme Court.
When Fadnavis briefed Shah and Nadda about the situation, BJP MP and senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani also joined the discussion, which was reportedly about the party's strategy to form government in Maharashtra with the support of Eknath Shinde, who has now almost all Shiv Sena legislators with him. Shah is learnt to have favoured a full-proof approach in which there is no possibility of any 'misadventure'.
Fadnavis later drove to Nadda's residence where the discussion was further carried out. Leaders remained tightlipped about what transpired in the meeting.
For record's sake, the BJP has so far been ruling out its role in the Maharashtra political crisis, calling it an internal matter of Shiv Sena. The party however has also made it clear it won't go fishing in troubled waters to come to power. The western state had delivered a blow to the saffron party when its old ally Sena led by Thackeray had left the alliance and joined NCP and Congress to form government in 2019 as BJP did not accept his demand for Chief Ministership.
BJP is clear that if any new government is to be formed with its support, Fadnavis will be the Chief Minister while the rebel Sena leaders can get plum portfolios including a Deputy Chief Ministership for the leader of the pack of rebels — Shinde.
The next most crucial event in Maharashtra's political theatre will be the floor test. Rebel MLAs have got a shot in the arm with the Supreme Court keeping in abeyance their disqualification till July 11. There is a realisation, however, that they have to move fast. The Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly has already approved the appointment of a new leader of Sena in the Assembly replacing Shinde.
While the rebels' priority will be to defeat the MVA government in the floor test, the Thackeray Sena is following a carrot and stick policy to woo back the rebels, divesting the ministers of their portfolios and making emotional appeals to get them back.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's role is key now as rebels could prove to him that the MVA government has lost the majority. BJP may move in decisively towards government formation after that move.
Speaking to reporters in Indore, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has said his party was watching the evolving political scenario in Maharashtra "from a distance" while in Nagpur senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the party has decided to "wait and watch", and is now waiting to see when the MVA will declare that it is in minority.