Uddhav Thackeray expressed his anguish over the absence of 23 MLAs, Sharad Pawar also distanced himself.

The cracks within the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA) alliance have now come to the fore in Maharashtra politics. The absence of 23 out of 60 MLAs of the alliance in the important meeting called to formulate the strategy for the upcoming monsoon session not only shows the weakness of the alliance, but is also a big political setback for Uddhav Thackeray. The absence of senior leaders like Sharad Pawar, Jayant Patil and Nana Patole in the meeting has raised many big questions on the future of the alliance.

‘Are we really together?’

Expressing his anguish during the meeting, Uddhav Thackeray directly questioned his colleagues, “We say that we are together, but are we really together? Are we working as a united Maha Vikas Aghadi within the House?” His question has exposed the tussle within the alliance. After six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs recently defected to the Eknath Shinde camp, now this collective indifference of the MLAs is being seen as a signal of the end of the alliance.

let those who are gone go

Uddhav Thackeray may have advised his leaders to be patient, but his pain was clearly visible. Addressing party members, he said, “Those who have gone, let them go.” He called upon his remaining leaders and allies to unite and organize rallies and show their strength among the public. Thackeray’s emphasis is on the fact that the alliance will have to come together on issues, otherwise the alliance will fall prey to ideological contradictions and political opportunism.

Is the end near for MVA?

The rebellion in Shiv Sena in June 2022 and the subsequent split within the NCP in June 2023 had completely changed the direction of Maharashtra politics. At present, the way MLAs and big leaders are staying away from meetings, it could be a sign of a bigger political development. At present, even though there is no official news of any other major rebellion, this silence of the MLAs and their absence from the meetings is creating a serious crisis regarding the ‘coalition of the alliance’ in the politics of the state. It remains to be seen whether this appeal of Thackeray will be able to bring the allies back together or has the disintegration of MVA become inevitable?