The biggest threat to the BJP’s credibility in Maharashtra today is not the Opposition, but its own ally.
For years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership worked hard to build a national image of discipline, clean governance and forward-looking politics. But in Maharashtra today, that image is not under attack from the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), or the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The biggest threat is from its ally — the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. And all this is happening in full public view.
Local body elections covering thousands of seats will be held on December 2. These polls are normally a low-key affair and rarely dominate the state’s political narrative. Voters expect the Opposition to unleash accusations, expose governance failures, and question corruption. But this time, Maharashtra has witnessed something unusual. The fiercest allegations against the BJP are coming not from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) but from its own ruling regime partner.
Shinde himself added to the tension with his remark (referencing the Ramayan and citing the example of Ravan) that “arrogance leads to downfall,” widely seen as a comment aimed at the BJP, which later was clarified by his team as an attack meant for rivals and not for the ally. A banner showing Shinde alongside Sonia Gandhi in the Umarga polls further deepened the confusion, hinting at odd local-level equations.
In the digital age, even small signals like these quickly explode into statewide narratives.
If Shinde’s comments stung, his team’s attacks struck even deeper and pushed the confrontation even further. Thus, giving an impression that the Shinde Sena camp is leaving no stone unturned to openly take a swipe at BJP, especially hitting where it hurts the most — the clean image of the party. Shinde camp minister Sanjay Shirsat mocked BJP MP Ashok Chavan, asking whether he “eats bhakri or currency notes”. Many political observers saw this “Adarsh” jab as a direct hit on the BJP’s claim of clean politics.
Then came an even sharper blow. Shinde Sena MLA Nilesh Rane, brother of BJP minister Nitesh Rane, released a video showing a bag allegedly containing R20 lakh cash in a BJP worker’s house. Nilesh claimed the money was meant to influence the Malvan polls. He questioned how ordinary people could ever contest elections if such money power was involved, and hinted that the “mess” began after state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan’s visit to Malvan.
The political discomfort for the BJP was obvious as these accusations were coming from someone whose entire family is deeply tied to the BJP.
A visibly disturbed Chavan responded cautiously. “For now, keeping the alliance intact till local elections is important. I will respond to these allegations after December 2 [voting day],” Chavan said. The state BJP chief’s statement clearly spelled “all is not well” within the saffron alliance partners.
This is not the first time friction has surfaced between the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena. Tensions have long simmered beneath the surface. But never has the divide been this wide, this loud and in the public domain.
The “cold war” between the alliance partners clearly shows that Mahayuti leaders may claim unity in the state, but in actuality are divided on the ground.
As internal assaults are far fiercer than those from Opposition parties, it is bringing a lot of embarrassment to the BJP. This matters because the fight is not shaping public opinion against the entire alliance. The attacks are hurting the BJP’s “clean image”, a fact that is hard to ignore for the central and state BJP leadership.
It isn’t just the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) that deserves blame. The BJP, too, has contributed to escalating tensions and creating this mess. Several BJP leaders have been provoking Shinde and his camp. Take the example of the current state BJP chief, who went ahead and inducted Sena workers and leaders from areas considered Shinde’s stronghold, including the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Shinde’s son, Dr Shrikant Shinde.
In Maharashtra politics, such moves are not forgotten. They trigger insecurities and retaliatory strikes. Eventually, Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde were forced to agree to an unwritten “no-poaching” pact just to prevent the alliance from collapsing before polling day.
No matter what the outcome of the local elections may be, the question now is whether this public airing of grievances will cost the Mahayuti more than it gains. While the alliance looks united on paper, voters are seeing cracks in real time with leaders bickering, candidates undermining each other, and old rivalries spilling into the open.
With everyone speculating about the future of the Shinde Sena–BJP partnership, Eknath Shinde stepped in on Friday to settle the dust. He insisted this alliance isn’t some convenient and last-minute political “jugad”.
According to him, it was built decades ago by stalwart leaders like Balasaheb Thackeray, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani on shared ideology and not for power.
Shinde confidently stated that the foundation of the Sena-BJP bond is strong and he believes the saffron alliance is not going anywhere.
But if things do not go the way Shinde expects, it is certain that there will be further escalation and tension within the alliance. And, both sides will have to face the consequences.
A split now would only weaken Mahayuti’s chances in the bigger fights waiting in 2029 (both in the Assembly and Lok Sabha) elections.
Sanjeev Shivadekar is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @SanjeevShivadek
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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.