How MVA lost the plot in the Maharashtra assembly polls

Though the Maharashtra elections were widely expected to be closely contested, they turned out to be far from that. A significant blow to the MVA has been its diminished grip on Maharashtra’s political economy over the last five years, mainly caused by the defection of Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who were instrumental in managing extensive patronage networks and resource allocation within their parent parties. Ajit Pawar reportedly aligned the sugar lobby with the BJP, ensuring policy support and financial stability, while Shinde’s grassroots appeal and organisational acumen consolidated support across constituencies. Similarly, the limitations of the Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP, which traditionally relied on strong grassroots cadres but struggled to rebuild their organisational networks after internal splits, were underlined again. The MVA’s lack of internal cohesion was reflected in its failure to announce its chief ministerial face, even as the Shiv Sena hoped that Uddhav Thackeray as the potential CM would help the alliance immensely.