Deshpande's Adda!

Post May ‘14 Lok Sabha Election and its consequent results, two things were made crystal clear- firstly there was a strong pro-Modi wave and secondly an equally (or arguable stronger) anti-Congress sentiment in India. NDA winning 332 seats- of which 42 seats were won in the state of Maharashtra- considerable 13% seats of total won.  The importance of the state does not end here. Maharashtra is the richest state in India, with its GDP in 2013 almost 80% more than that of the second richest Uttar Pradesh. The state holds the financial prowess of the nation, with the BMC’s annual budget being more than many Indian states. The party which holds Maharashtra essentially controls a large amount of money pile. For the past 15 years, the state had been ruled by the Congress and NCP alliance (read Aghadi) and the two parties have an extremely strong presence both on field and in the assembly. In 2009 State Assembly elections, the BJP and Sena together were winning almost the same n...

Before Mr. Modi was announced as PM candidate, everyone (including me) has predicted a complete washout of Shiv Sena from Maharashtra. It was evident- as with time, old guns of Sena had started deserting the party. Come 2014 and even just before the elections, it was difficult to predict the impact of “Modi tsunami” on Sena candidates. Looking at specifically results from Thane, Konkan and a few other regions, I can easily say that the "Modi tsunami" was much more than even Sena/BJP could imagine. A few seats in particular: 1. In Navi Mumbai - a tradition bastion of the Naik family- where they have never lost any election: previously from Sena and now from NCP. In the LS election, Sena's Rajan Vichare won from ALL assembly segments- including those of Naik’s stronghold. 2. In Sangli - never ever has any party except Congress even come closer to victory! In 2009, Sena/BJP has supported an independent, since they had little power of contesting here. Today, the...

This is a satirical piece, wherein political parties active in Maharashtra display their opportunism, using the example of the famous phrase- “Strike the Iron while it is Hot” . I hope you all know its meaning. I will start with the Ruling Parties: 1. NCP - They are the most efficient strikers. They not only strike the iron while it is hot, but also show continuous efforts to heat the iron by striking it repeatedly. But their problem is that, that they like to use the mallet which had been discarded by the other workmen rather than getting their own mallet. Hence sometimes it can do wonders (municipal elections) and sometimes can be terrible (LS elections). 2. Congress - They show team work in striking the iron. Many workmen try to strike the iron at a time using their own mallets. Sometimes the iron is shaped beautifully. But in other cases, the mallet hits some other workmen’s fingers and gets him injured (infighting). At the same time, they are over depe...