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By:

Abhijit Joshi

31 August 2024 at 10:09:24 am

A Mahayuti Landslide, A Fadnavis Moment

Maharashtra’s urban voters have rewarded development over identity, cementing the Chief Minister as the state’s pivotal power-broker. Maharashtra’s municipal elections have delivered a verdict that will reverberate far beyond city halls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allied with Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena under the Mahayuti banner, swept most major municipal corporations, including Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the nation’s richest civic body and...

A Mahayuti Landslide, A Fadnavis Moment

Maharashtra’s urban voters have rewarded development over identity, cementing the Chief Minister as the state’s pivotal power-broker. Maharashtra’s municipal elections have delivered a verdict that will reverberate far beyond city halls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allied with Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena under the Mahayuti banner, swept most major municipal corporations, including Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the nation’s richest civic body and arguably the most hotly-contested civic body. Across the state, the results suggest that voters in fast-growing cities are prioritising delivery over rhetoric, and that Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP’s strategist and former chief minister, has emerged as the most powerful figure in Maharashtra politics today. Preliminary counts had indicated a clear Mahayuti advantage in most of the 29 municipal corporations that went to the polls. By mid-afternoon, national media reported the alliance leading in between 19 and 24 municipalities, with the BJP alone ahead in over a thousand ward seats. The Opposition comprising of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress, and the NCP factions under the MVA umbrella, along with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, struggled to match the Mahayuti’s performance. Across urban Maharashtra, the message from voters was loud and clear: governance that improves daily life trumps nostalgia, identity politics, or past allegiances. Sharp Campaigning The Mahayuti’s success was neither accidental nor purely symbolic. Analysts attribute it to a campaign sharply focused on tangible development issues. Roads, metro expansions, improved public transport, and enhanced civic amenities dominated the narrative. Even where infrastructure projects caused temporary inconvenience, citizens recognised their long-term benefits. In cities such as Mumbai and Pune, voters rewarded parties that had a record of delivery. Emotional appeals or appeals to Marathi identity, which have historically been potent in Maharashtra, largely fell flat. Mumbai, home to the BMC, was the most closely watched battleground. The alliance of Fadnavis and Shinde eclipsed the combined efforts of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, signalling a profound shift in the political centre of gravity in the metropolis. Pune, historically an NCP stronghold, cemented the BJP’s grip while Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur reaffirmed the party’s organisational strength and grassroots appeal. In Nagpur, the BJP’s victories are especially symbolic given that the city has long been a crucible of party ideology and organisational machinery. Civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) including Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, and Kalyan-Dombivli reinforced the pattern. Even in Latur, where the Congress-led alliance won, and in pockets of Marathwada, where results were mixed, the BJP maintained an edge in several wards. The lesson was clear that while local leadership mattered in places, voters unmistakably went for broad-based and performance-oriented messaging. Fadnavis hailed the results as a “festival of democracy” arguing that the electorate had chosen performance and delivery over empty promises. Shinde and other allies echoed the sentiment, suggesting the outcome validated both their strategy and their claim to stable governance in urban bodies. With the win, both leaders now have to contend with high urban expectations that they will have to live up to. An embattled Opposition was naturally more circumspect. Ajit Pawar’s NCP celebrated select victories but acknowledged the broader challenge of regaining urban support. The Thackeray brothers, meanwhile, faced a harsher verdict and have now to contend with an even more ominous political future. Their over-reliance on identity politics, emotional narratives, and old political loyalties utterly failed to mobilise voters who now appear more concerned with tangible improvements in civic life. Big Implications The implications of the results extend far beyond municipal boundaries. Controlling major city corporations gives the Mahayuti direct influence over large budgets and urban policy decisions, from infrastructure projects to civic administration. If leveraged well, these victories can cement the alliance’s image as a party of delivery, providing a springboard for the BJP and its allies in future Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Conversely, mismanagement or delays in fulfilling promises could quickly erode public trust. For the Opposition parties, the message is stark. Relying on historical legacy, identity politics, or fragmented alliances is no longer sufficient to sway urban voters. To remain competitive, parties will need a combination of strong candidates, coordinated strategy, and a credible development agenda. The elections also underline the increasing sophistication of city electorates: voters are willing to endure short-term inconvenience for long-term gains, signalling a maturing political consciousness. The Mahayuti sweep in Maharashtra is as much about perception as it is about policy. By projecting competence, decisiveness, and a focus on modernisation, Fadnavis and his allies have repositioned themselves at the apex of state politics. Their challenge now is to convert electoral triumph into effective governance. Delivering visible improvements in city infrastructure and services will not only justify the electorate’s confidence but also provide momentum for larger political battles ahead. In the long run, these municipal results are less about immediate power shifts than about political momentum. They illustrate the growing primacy of performance politics in India’s urban centres, where citizens are increasingly intolerant of stagnation and empty promises. For Devendra Fadnavis, the overwhelming verdict is both an endorsement and a responsibility: the electorate has signalled that it expects tangible results. For his rivals, the lesson is unambiguous. If they hope to challenge the Mahayuti’s growing dominance, they must innovate, modernise, and reconnect with a voter base that now prizes efficacy over rhetoric. Maharashtra’s cities have spoken. They have chosen development over identity, delivery over nostalgia, and pragmatism over populism.   (The writer is a political observer. Views personal.)

Plastic Isn’t the Polluter. We Are

Are you guilty of taking plastic bags for your regular grocery shopping, or do you do the right thing and carry your own?

Recently, I was addressing a group of young people at a seminar. Most of them were students. The topic of the session was “Beat the Plastic Pollution”. I began my speech with a deliberately provocative statement. “Plastic does not create any pollution,” I said. Then I paused and asked, “Do you all agree?”


The room instantly filled with confusion. The audience looked at one another, clearly perplexed. Whispers began to ripple across the hall. A few students seemed almost amused, while others appeared genuinely disturbed. “Sir, your topic for this lead lecture is Beat the Plastic Pollution,” someone murmured. “And you are saying that plastic does not create any pollution. How is that possible?”


I let the moment linger. Once again, I asked them, “Do you agree?” This time, a few hands went up. One student spoke confidently. “Sir, extensive research shows that plastic has become one of the worst pollutants. It is creating life-threatening conditions across the globe. In that case, how can you say plastic does not cause pollution?”


They were absolutely right. I had anticipated this response. That question was precisely what I wanted to provoke. I smiled and told them that before answering, I would describe a scene all of us have witnessed many times in our daily lives. Then I began narrating that familiar, everyday sight.


My wife and I had gone to buy vegetables and fruits from a local vendor near our home. As expected, the place was crowded. Many people were busy selecting produce and bargaining over prices. It was a familiar, everyday scene.


One thing, however, stood out clearly. Only a handful of customers—including us—were carrying a cotton thaila or a bag made of cloth. Most others had arrived empty-handed. They carried nothing except their wallets, ready to pay and walk away.


After we finished choosing our vegetables, the vendor acted almost instinctively. In a fraction of a second, he pulled out a brand-new plastic bag from a pile hidden beside him—despite the fact that plastic bags are banned. Before we could react, he had already started putting our purchases into it. His hands moved so swiftly that it felt like a reflex action, learnt and repeated countless times.


My wife reacted immediately. She stopped him mid-action and handed over the cloth bag we had brought from home. Seeing this, I spoke aloud so others nearby could hear. “Bhaiyya, plastic ki thaili mat diya karo kisiko bhi… ye galat hai.” (Brother, please don’t give plastic bags to anyone… it is wrong.)


The vendor looked at me helplessly and replied without hesitation. “Kya kare sirji, yadi main plastic bag nahi dunga, to log mujhse mera maal kharidenge nahi. Fir mera dhandha kaise chalega?” (What can I do, sir? If I don’t give plastic bags, people won’t buy from me. Then how will my business survive?)


I glanced around, hoping that people nearby would pause and reflect. I thought they might realise that what they were doing was part of the problem. But that hope quickly faded. Those who had not brought their own bags showed no interest in the conversation. They neither listened nor reacted. The vendor, meanwhile, continued obliging them, handing out plastic bags one after another.


Among the crowd were a few parents accompanied by their school-going children. I decided to speak to one such family. I gently asked why they had not carried bags from home.


The child answered candidly, almost casually. “Uncle, why should we take the trouble of carrying those clumsy-looking bags when these lightweight, see-through bags are so easily available?”


Then came a remark that stayed with me. The child added, “We can use these bags for storing our household garbage and then throw them into the dustbin or directly at the roadside garbage dump.”


That response, innocent as it sounded, revealed just how normal and unquestioned plastic use had become—even in young, educated minds.


I will pause my narration here. What happened next? You’ll have to wait until next Saturday to find out.


Until then, enjoy a wonderful last weekend of the year 2025.


(The author is an environmentalist. Views Personal.) 


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