BJP’s Giant Leap in Maharashtra: The Key Takeaways

History was created on Friday when

had its first

Chief Minister sworn in.

, the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra also perhaps became one of the youngest CM for the state.

Yet the profundity of the achievement of BJP is not just merely having another state into its kitty but much more than that.

What BJP Really Achieved...

In the first place, in one go BJP showed that it has the capacity and enough mass support now to catapult itself from being a junior partner to emerge as not only the larger partner but the largest party in many states as well.

To achieve that feat in the bastion of Shiv Sena was not a matter of joke and to win more seats than what even Shiv Sena was offering BJP to fight was actually a real time feat.

However, by making sure that eventually Uddhav Thackeray shared the dais with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, during the swearing in ceremony, BJP has given enough hints that Shiv Sena still matters a lot even though the dimensions of the equation may have undergone a sea change.

Everything said and done, there is no doubt that Shiv Sena is needed for a stable BJP Government in Maharashtra and in elections later on, If Congress and NCP ally again, then Shiv Sena and BJP, each would need the other or else both would stand to lose.

The Importance of Synchronizing investments in Gujarat and Maharashtra

Having a Chief Minister of its own choice in Maharashtra makes a lot of sense for BJP not just for political reasons but also for investment reasons as well.

With both Maharashtra and Gujarat in its kitty, synergizing and synchronizing of investments in the entire Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor becomes easier for Modi who would personally want that entire corridor to become one of the critical industrial hubs of the nation.

Already a large number of major business houses having their headquarters in Mumbai have investments in Gujarat whereas as a large number of Gujarati businessmen are settled in Maharashtra.

Given the enormous potential of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor and given the kind of loyalty both Fadnavis and Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel have towards Prime Minister Modi, the task becomes all the more easier for him in steering grand investment plans in the region without having to think of interstate rivalries or politics.

The message loud and clear: Henceforth ready to go all alone if the need be....

The other important aspect that became evident is that BJP's gamble in Maharashtra by going it all alone, not only paid off, but it also made it amply clear that it would not hesitate to even form a minority government or one with outside support of independents rather than succumbing to the pressure tactics of allies.

The message has been sent loud and clear to the allies through the series of events in the past few days in Maharashtra. BJP's insistence on unconditional support of Shiv Sena to the BJP government before talking about sharing of portfolios or induction of Shiv Sena Ministers seems to have paid off.

What Next for Modi ?

With the Government formations in Maharashtra and Haryana having completed and with Modi once again having proved the incredible capacity of his team to pull off the unimaginable, governance issues would once again become the talking point and one should not be surprised if Modi goes ahead with some tough and possibly unpopular economic decisions in the greater interest of the economy.

However with economic indicators showing positive signs, inflation rates having been reasonably controlled and oil prices coming down, people may not be too unhappy if some harsh economic decisions are eventually taken.

Next Stop- Jharkhand and J&K

With election dates having been announced for elections in both Jharkhand and J&K, it would be interesting to see if BJP would again want to bank on the Modi magic to win the forthcoming elections.

However, with elections there spread of over several phases, the PM might find it difficult to give too much time even though fact remains that both Jharkhand and J&K remain very important states to win for BJP.

Jharkhand being in a total mess, both in terms of economy and Law & Order, the momentum of Modi wave and BJP' reasonably strong organization there is expected to have a considerable impact while in J&K, BJP may perhaps go all out to create another miracle.

However, more than BJP, it would be the existence of Congress that would be in question, if BJP succeeds to put a good performance in J&K and wins Jharkhand comfortably.

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