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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Mahayuti struggles with seat-sharing formula

Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti alliance is currently navigating a treacherous political minefield. With the crucial Legislative Council elections rapidly approaching, deep-seated differences over seat-sharing have surfaced. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday offered a candid admission of these unresolved disputes. His statements underscore the immense pressure on the coalition partners. The state is preparing to vote for sixteen council seats and one bypoll seat in Nagpur. Voting is...

Mahayuti struggles with seat-sharing formula

Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti alliance is currently navigating a treacherous political minefield. With the crucial Legislative Council elections rapidly approaching, deep-seated differences over seat-sharing have surfaced. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday offered a candid admission of these unresolved disputes. His statements underscore the immense pressure on the coalition partners. The state is preparing to vote for sixteen council seats and one bypoll seat in Nagpur. Voting is scheduled for June 18, with the all-important counting set for June 22. Addressing the media after inaugurating the Jawahar Balbhavan in Mumbai, Fadnavis sought to project a calm exterior. He emphasised that detailed discussions are still ongoing to evaluate various aspects of the electoral battle. He expressed confidence that the alliance would soon reach an amicable solution. However, the specific geographies he mentioned reveal the exact fault lines. Negotiations with the Shiv Sena are heavily concentrated on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Nashik. Meanwhile, talks with the Nationalist Congress Party are focused squarely on Pune. Alliance Arithmatic The arithmetic of the alliance is proving incredibly difficult to balance. The Shiv Sena had firmly demanded seven seats even as the BJP was offering only 3. They justify this claim by pointing to their strong support bases in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Sambhajinagar, Ratnagiri, Nashik, and Yavatmal. The Bharatiya Janata Party has a vastly different calculation. The BJP plans to assert its dominance by contesting twelve seats. This aggressive stance would leave only three seats for the Sena and a mere two seats for the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP. With the nomination process already underway, the clock is ticking loudly for the Mahayuti leadership. This intense internal friction prompted a sudden political maneuver by Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde. He flew to New Delhi over the weekend amid the escalating deadlock. Sena sources indicated that Shinde sought the intervention of the BJP’s central leadership. A Sena minister, however, quickly tried to downplay the optics of the trip. He insisted that Shinde travelled for an unscheduled programme before heading to Bengaluru for a planned event. Despite these official denials, the timing strongly suggests a high-stakes crisis intervention. Bitter Conflict The most bitter conflict within the alliance centers on the Thane local authorities constituency. Both the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena are fiercely staking their claims. A BJP legislator recently argued that political tickets should be distributed based strictly on numerical strength. He pointed out that the BJP commands 444 corporators in the region. In stark contrast, the Shinde-led Sena and the allied Jijau organisation possess a combined total of only 346 corporators. However, political reality in Maharashtra is rarely dictated by numbers alone. The Shinde faction views Thane as its emotional and traditional stronghold. Surrendering this territory to their alliance partner is considered politically unthinkable. This local dispute is already threatening to severely damage the broader coalition. A Sena Member of Parliament recently issued a stark warning regarding the upcoming Thane Zilla Parishad elections. He boldly asserted that Sena workers are fully prepared to fight alone and hoist their saffron flag, regardless of the alliance’s survival. The battle lines are extending further across the state map. The Sena is demanding the Jalgaon seat, which the BJP is equally determined to contest. Furthermore, reports suggest the Sena is preparing to unilaterally field a candidate in Raigad. This would further complicate the already delicate negotiations. Despite these mounting tensions, BJP minister Girish Mahajan has publicly maintained that the deadlock will be resolved shortly. A final decision now rests on an impending high-level meeting between Fadnavis, Shinde, and Sunetra Pawar. MVA Crisis Meanwhile, the political turbulence is not restricted to the Mahayuti alliance. The opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi is dealing with its own severe crisis in the Vidarbha region. The Chandrapur-Gadchiroli council seat has triggered frantic political poaching. As many as sixty corporators and Zilla Parishad members from the Congress party reportedly went missing recently. Congress leaders have directly accused BJP legislator Banti Bhangadiya of orchestrating this disappearance. They allege he has shifted the corporators to an undisclosed location to manipulate the voting outcome. The Congress has responded with an aggressive counter-narrative. Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar made a startling claim that over one hundred BJP corporators are secretly in contact with him. While Wadettiwar strategically hid their exact whereabouts, his statement highlighted a critical vulnerability. He suggested that the BJP is also suffering from severe internal factionalism. Wadettiwar warned that these hidden rifts will ultimately cost the ruling party dearly in the forthcoming elections.

All Is Well: A Journey Through Faith, Nature, Survival

Between the beauty of the Himalayas and the terror of a landslide, we learnt that faith, courage, and providence walked with us when nature tested our limits.

In the previous article, I shared how our journey began at Govindghat, with a scenic trek leading us to Ghangaria, the base camp for the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. That beautiful walk set the stage for the unforgettable experiences that lay ahead.


Here, we continue the trek as I take you back to some of the thrilling moments we experienced in 1998.


During the trek, our guide shared a warning that stayed with me. He said that some flowers in the Valley of Flowers, such as the Himalayan blue poppy, are poisonous and so toxic that even their fragrance can be hazardous. We were strictly told to return before sunset. Although I didn’t fully grasp the seriousness of the situation then, I followed every instruction, staying close to my parents.


As we walked, I was overwhelmed by the view. Wildflowers in every imaginable colour spread across the valley, carpeting the land in vibrant hues. It was the first time I had seen such abundance and beauty. In that moment, I felt the greatest artist is God, as if divine hands had painted the earth into a living masterpiece.

Our group moved steadily forward and soon reached Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara, located at approximately 15,200 feet, the world’s highest-altitude Gurudwara. I was awestruck. With no visible road or clear way to transport materials, its serene presence beside a lake that freezes in winter felt nothing short of miraculous.


Inside, the Gurudwara served langar to all visitors without distinction. We were given hot tea in large glasses, and as I warmed my hands, I took in the breathtaking surroundings. The silence, the mountains, and the sacred space merged into a moment of deep realisation.


That was when I truly understood a great truth of life: being close to nature brings unmatched peace, humility, and fulfilment. The journey didn’t just cross mountains and valleys; it quietly reshaped my inner world.


Many times during the trek, I felt like giving up and returning to the base camp. My body was exhausted, and my mind wavered. But I learnt an important lesson: a steady, moderate pace makes even the toughest journey manageable. My parents gently reminded me not to hurry, and I walked beside them. Those slow, encouraging moments remain among my most precious memories with them.


We were meant to be on this journey for nearly twelve days, and until then, everything had gone smoothly—until we were pressed to leave Malpa Village.


As we passed through this village, we faced a life-threatening incident. Malpa, a small village in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district, in the Kali Valley of the Kumaon Himalayas, is a known stop on the Kailash Mansarovar route. It later became infamous for the devastating landslide of August 18, 1998. Little did we know that our own experience there would shake us to the core.


The massive landslide struck as we were passing through a narrow mountain stretch. It was terrifying. About 24 of us were inside the bus when a huge rock suddenly rolled down and crashed onto it. For a moment, we truly believed the bus would be pushed into the valley below.


By God’s grace, it didn’t happen. Our driver showed remarkable presence of mind and skill, calmly accelerating the bus toward the safest stretch of road. In the chaos, my father and one of our group members, Anil Kaka, stepped out despite the danger to assess the road and guide the driver. Watching my father face such risk was one of the most frightening moments of my life.


Thankfully, their courage and clarity helped us move forward. The bus reached a safer stretch, and they climbed back inside. When we saw the damage—a massive dent on the roof where the rock had struck—it was a chilling reminder of how close we had come to disaster.


We didn’t stop and drove straight to Badrinath, shaken but safe. The next day, we heard the devastating news that Malpa village, which we had just crossed, was completely destroyed by the landslide. Many lives were lost, including the renowned Odissi dancer Protima Bedi and members of her group.


This news was really very heartbreaking for us. Also, at the same time, we were not able to contact our family because there was no phone connection. So we were really stressed…


That time we leaned forward, Lord Shiva in this beautiful temple, and were hoping to get things normal.


In the next article, we will continue this life-threatening real experience. So, stay tuned.

 

(The writer is a tourism professional and runs a company, Global Voyages. She could be contacted at goglobalvoyages@gmail.com. Views personal.)

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