Abhijit Joshi

As speculation over Sharad Pawar’s equations with the NDA resurfaces, Maharashtra is reminded that its most enduring political constant has always been uncertainty. There is an old Mumbai saying that seasoned political observers have long enjoyed repeating: “Ghode ki laath aur boss ki baat par kabhi bharosa mat karna” (never trust a horse’s kick or a boss’ word; either can come without warning). If Maharashtra’s politicians were updating the proverb today, one more cautionary line would...

Mumbai’s annual monsoon ordeal has become a test of whether governance can keep pace with a changing climate. Few cities romanticise the monsoon as much as Mumbai. The first showers arrive with nostalgia and Bollywood melodies. Soon enough, however, romance gives way to ritual: flooded roads, submerged railway tracks, fallen trees, gridlocked traffic and stranded commuters. Governance Audit This year, the examination has been particularly unforgiving. Between late June and the first week of...

As legislators trade defections for reforms and accusations for applause, Maharashtra’s monsoon session finds the state’s citizens still awaiting relief. The Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature has evolved into a revealing contest over power and political survival instead of the constitutional ritual of debating laws and approving budgets it is meant to be. While the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti has sought to project itself as a reforming administration pushing through...