Mahayuti govt at 1: Fadnavis' infra, investment push and alliance balancing act amid Oppn aggression

Mumbai, Dec 5 (PTI) The BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on Friday completed one year in power, a period marked by a push for infrastructure expansion and an emphasis on investor confidence, as well as delicate balancing within the three-party coalition.

While the ruling party leaders said the state saw governance with transparency and speedy decisions in the last one year, the opposition sought a "white paper" on the achievements, or the lack of it, of the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation, claiming the people of Maharashtra are disappointed.

The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena, had won 235 seats in the 288-member House in the November 2024 assembly polls, which its leaders had called a "clear and strong mandate for development politics." Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister on December 5, though the delay in government formation raised eyebrows.

The delay was marked by intense speculation on whether Eknath Shinde would get a second shot at being CM, with the Shiv Sena leader not keen on being part of the government if he did not get the top post. The swearing-in of ministers took place on December 15, ten days after Fadnavis took oath, and just on the eve of the new assembly's first (winter) session in Nagpur.

Its first challenge was the fallout of the December 9 murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, as the arrest of main accused Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, had the Opposition up in arms. Under sustained pressure, and amid national outrage over videos that showed Deshmukh being tortured, Munde quit the cabinet in March this year citing health reasons.

Ruling alliance leaders have routinely claimed the Fadnavis government has worked with "speed, transparency and coordination" and has "reset the pace of infrastructure building", citing metro rail projects in Mumbai, Pune and Thane, coastal road, trans harbour link and the mega Vadhavan port.

"The past one year has seen new standards of development with a focus on transparency through digital systems," state cabinet minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule asserted.

Speaking at a press conference here to mark the completion of one year of the government, Bawankule said initiatives in agriculture, irrigation, infrastructure, industry, employment generation and women empowerment were being implemented with a long-term roadmap.

While the Mahayuti has repeatedly sought to underline its cohesion, with the chief minister and his deputies stating that the government "functioned with complete coordination despite speculation", political observers noted that managing a three-party alliance with distinct constituencies and leadership centres remains a challenge.

There were allegations of corruption and misconduct against some Shiv Sena ministers and MLAs, while the Pune land deal involving a firm in which Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's son Parth is a partner gave further ammunition to the Opposition. The sale deed had to be cancelled, and an FIR was registered, though Opposition parties slammed the absence of Parth's name in it.

The sale of a Jain Trust property in Pune to a developer brought Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol in the crosshairs of the Opposition, though he denied any link to the matter. This deal too was cancelled after the developer backtracked amid protests from the community.

The Opposition also flayed the Fadnavis government for not announcing farm loan waiver and not hiking the monthly financial aid for Ladki Bahin Yojana beneficiaries despite making such a promise during the assembly poll campaign.

Activist Manoj Jarange's hunger strike in south Mumbai in the last week of August resulted in the state government accepting several of his demands for issuance of Kunbi caste certificates, which would allow the Maratha community quota benefits under the OBC segment.

However, it evoked strong opposition from the Other Backward Classes, leaving the government to attempt a delicate balancing act by setting up a cabinet sub committee just like it did for Maratha quota.

Amid speculation of internal strife, all three ruling parties declared work was progressing unitedly and without strain. However, last month, Shiv Sena ministers skipped a cabinet meeting in the backdrop of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan inducting functionaries of the Shinde-led party in Kalyan-Dombivali and other strongholds of the deputy CM.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Friday, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar said one year of the BJP-led Mahayuti government has left the people of Maharashtra disappointed.

The former minister claimed farmer suicides have increased in the last one year and agricultural produce was not getting guaranteed prices, while cultivators were struggling to receive seeds or fertilisers on time.

"The government is busy patting its own back. They sit in five-star hotels and narrate their achievements, but people have received nothing except disappointment. The state government must present a 'white paper' in the Winter session of the legislature (beginning from December 8 in Nagpur) outlining its pre-poll promises, decisions and delivery," he said.

As the government enters its second year, leaders said the focus will be on pushing large-scale infrastructure towards completion, deepening rural outreach and enhancing ease of doing business.

The opposition, meanwhile, has vowed intensified scrutiny, setting the stage for a politically active year ahead in Maharashtra. PTI MR BNM