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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

NDA power matrix reshaped after success

AI generated image Mumbai: A quiet coup in the state has triggered a loud shift in the power dynamics of the nation’s capital. By engineering the defection of six additional MPs, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has nearly doubled his parliamentary muscle, transforming his Shiv Sena faction from a junior regional partner into an indispensable pillar of the NDA. Now sitting on a commanding 13 seats, Shinde has dramatically increased his political leverage—leaving a cautious BJP to weigh the...

NDA power matrix reshaped after success

AI generated image Mumbai: A quiet coup in the state has triggered a loud shift in the power dynamics of the nation’s capital. By engineering the defection of six additional MPs, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has nearly doubled his parliamentary muscle, transforming his Shiv Sena faction from a junior regional partner into an indispensable pillar of the NDA. Now sitting on a commanding 13 seats, Shinde has dramatically increased his political leverage—leaving a cautious BJP to weigh the cost of an emboldened ally demanding a bigger slice of the pie in both the Union and state cabinets. In a masterstroke of political engineering that has profoundly jolted political landscape, Shinde has once again demonstrated his formidable capacity for disruption. The rebellion of six out of nine Lok Sabha Members of Parliament from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), ostensibly joining Shinde’s ranks under the banner of “Operation Tiger,” is not merely a regional skirmish. It is a calculated power play that reverberates through the highest corridors of power in New Delhi. By nearly doubling his party’s strength in the lower house from seven to thirteen MPs, Shinde has dramatically altered his own political trajectory, elevating his faction from a helpful regional ally to an indispensable pillar of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Shinde’s Stature The immediate consequence of this crossover is a massive surge in Shinde’s stature within the NDA hierarchy. With thirteen parliamentarians, his Shiv Sena is now poised to become the fourth-largest bloc in the ruling national coalition, sitting just behind the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Telugu Desam Party, and the newly formed Nationalist Citizens Party of India. This numerical leap is of immense strategic value to the BJP-led central government. In a parliamentary environment where the ruling coalition possesses only a modest majority, every single seat counts. The central leadership is acutely aware of upcoming legislative hurdles, particularly ambitious constitutional amendments like the proposed delimitation bill, which will require a formidable two-thirds majority. By acting as the architect of this crucial numerical boost, Shinde has cemented his reputation as a reliable and highly effective operator for the NDA, significantly increasing his bargaining power and political leverage. National Relief For the BJP, this development evokes a complex mixture of profound national relief and acute regional anxiety. From the vantage point of PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Shinde’s successful poaching operation is a clear windfall. It simultaneously fortifies the NDA’s numerical strength in New Delhi while severely crippling a vocal opposition force in Maharashtra. The central BJP leadership views Shinde as a vital asset capable of bridging the gap between their current numbers and the overwhelming mandates of the past. However, the perspective from the Maharashtra BJP headquarters is noticeably more apprehensive. State BJP leaders openly acknowledge Shinde’s soaring political equity, but they are increasingly wary of his expanding ambitions. They recognize that an emboldened Shinde, eager to fill the political vacuum left by Uddhav Thackeray and a fragmented Nationalist Congress Party, will aggressively attempt to expand his footprint across the state, potentially encroaching upon the BJP’s own traditional support bases. Power Sharing This dramatically enhanced political heft immediately raises pressing questions regarding power-sharing arrangements, both at the Centre and in the state. Armed with thirteen MPs, Shinde’s camp is undoubtedly preparing to seek greater political rewards. In the Union Cabinet, his demand for an additional, high-profile ministerial berth is now backed by solid arithmetic. Given his heightened utility to the national coalition, the BJP high command is highly likely to accommodate this request during the next cabinet reshuffle. However, the power struggle within the Maharashtra state cabinet promises to be far more contentious. Shinde, who had to settle for the Deputy Chief Ministership behind Devendra Fadnavis following the last assembly elections, may now feel emboldened to petition the BJP leadership for the top job. The BJP’s state unit is actively preparing to fiercely resist any such demand. Senior BJP leaders are quick to emphasize that despite his parliamentary gains, Shinde’s legislative strength in the state assembly hovers around 57 MLAs, dwarfed by the BJP’s commanding 132 legislators. Consequently, conceding the Chief Minister’s chair remains highly improbable. Instead, the BJP will be forced into a delicate balancing act, likely appeasing Shinde by granting his faction a larger share of influential, heavyweight portfolios within the state government to keep the alliance stable. Ultimately, through sheer political audacity, Eknath Shinde has ensured that neither New Delhi nor Mumbai can afford to govern without catering to his increasingly formidable political weight.

A Very Efficient German Engineering Demonstration

For 90 minutes at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Germany did what Germany does best: they turned football into a carefully designed industrial process. The assembly line started on time, the machines were well oiled, quality control was ruthless, and unfortunately for Curaçao, they were the unfortunate product being tested.


The final score read Germany 7, Curaçao 1, though the numbers alone do not tell the full story. Somewhere in the stadium, a scoreboard operator probably checked twice to make sure he was updating a football match and not a cricket score.


The evening began with optimism for Curaçao. The Caribbean nation marched onto the pitch carrying the dreams of an island, a fighting spirit, and perhaps a tiny prayer that Germany might have a bad day. They got their wish for approximately three minutes. After that, Germany remembered they were Germany.


The opening goal arrived like a German train—fast, precise, and unfortunately impossible to stop. A series of quick passes sliced through the Curaçao defence with the elegance of a surgeon performing a routine operation. The defenders looked around, wondering whether they had misplaced the German forwards or whether the Germans had discovered a secret passage through space and time.


At 1–0, Curaçao still believed. At 2–0, they still hoped. At 3–0, the goalkeeper began reconsidering his career choices. By 4–0, he was probably searching the rulebook to see if a team could legally request a timeout, a substitute goalkeeper, or a small miracle.


Germany’s midfield controlled the match with the calmness of people filling out tax forms. No unnecessary drama, no panic, no emotional speeches. Just pass, move, receive, score, repeat. If German football had a user manual, this match would have been Chapter One.


The German forwards, meanwhile, treated every attack like a Black Friday sale: everything had to go. Every loose ball, every gap in the defence, every half-chance was immediately claimed before anyone else could get there.


Yet to Curaçao’s credit, they refused to disappear entirely. Football is a cruel game, but it occasionally offers small moments of kindness. Against the run of play, Curaçao launched a brave attack and found the back of the net.


The stadium erupted.


The Curaçao players celebrated as if they had won the World Cup itself—and honestly, who could blame them? When you are facing a football giant and your opponent is scoring goals like they are collecting supermarket loyalty points, even one goal feels like a trophy.


For a brief moment, the score was 4–1. A comeback? A miracle? A new chapter in football history?


Germany listened politely to those ideas and responded by scoring three more goals.


It was the football equivalent of someone saying, “I think I have a chance,” and Germany replying, “That is a wonderful opinion. Unfortunately, we have a schedule to maintain.”


The fifth goal arrived with the cold efficiency of a company email that begins with “As discussed earlier.” The sixth was almost rude in its simplicity, and the seventh felt less like a goal and more like Germany signing their name at the bottom of a completed project.


By the final whistle, Curaçao’s defenders looked like tourists who had accidentally signed up for an advanced physics exam. They had arrived expecting a challenge and left having learned several painful lessons about movement, positioning, and why giving Germany too much space is a terrible life decision.


The German manager will be delighted with the performance. Seven goals, total dominance, and a statement victory to announce that Germany had arrived at the World Cup with serious intentions. Their passing was sharp, their movement was intelligent, and their finishing was as clinical as a doctor with a perfect attendance record.


However, the result also carried a warning for Germany. Bigger tests await. The World Cup has a habit of allowing teams to look like superheroes in the group stage before introducing them to another superhero with a stronger cape.


For Curaçao, there is no shame in the defeat. The scoreboard may suggest a disaster, but their journey to the World Cup is already a remarkable achievement. They scored on one of football’s traditional giants, they never stopped fighting, and they gave their supporters a moment they will remember long after the seven German goals have been forgotten.


(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai.)

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