Monday, December 27 2004 17:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Maharashtra witnessed crystallization of political contours between Congress and anti-Congress forces, symbolized by the Shiv Sena-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) saffron combine, and clear marginalisation of the third front or the Left Front after both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the State this year.

NCP (Nationalist Congress Party), headed by a regional satrap Sharad Pawar, made a major stride in its fifth year of inception by emerging as the single largest party in the 288-member Assembly, clearly setting the alarm bells ringing in the ally, Congress camp.

With NCP spreading its wings, its partner Congress decided to bring back Vilasrao Deshmukh, a known Pawar-baiter, who occupied the most coveted seat, replacing the incumbent and first Dalit Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who won the State back for the ruling Democratic Front alliance.

The exchange of chairs between the proverbial 'Do hanso ka joda' reminded one of poetic justice. It was Shinde, who had replaced Deshmukh on January 18, 2003 and had to make way for his pal after the 2004 Assembly polls.

But Deshmukh's second innings at the high office is marked with difference this time. Unlike his previous term, he would not be excessively dependent on the Left Front and the independents for the survival of his Government.

Assembly polls

The Assembly polls clearly marginalized the Left Front and Peasants and Workers Party, once the main opposition party, leaving just two members in the lower house. Similarly, the number of independents and smaller party nominees getting elected to the State Assembly has dwindled.

Though, the Congress and NCP - the ruling partners, haggled initially over the Chief Minister's post, they subsequently chalked out a formula under which Congress got the top job and NCP more ministerial berths.

In the number game, the DF (Democratic Front) may enjoy a comfortable majority in the lower house, ensuring the stability of the ruling alliance, but a tottering economy with a debt of Rs 110,000 crore, electricity shortage, removing developmental backlog of backward regions and malnourishment in tribal belts are some of the daunting tasks ahead of Congress-NCP combine.

Shinde, despite being successful in halting the march of saffron combine to Mantralya, was dispatched to Andhra Pradesh as Governor.

S M Krishna's appointment

Similarly, S M Krishna, the IT savvy former Chief Minister of Karnataka, was made the Governor of Maharashtra, replacing Mohammed Fazal, who by departing from the gubernatorial protocol on many occasions, created a flutter.

Though Krishna's appointment appeared to have given potent ammunition to the main opposition Shiv Sena, in view of the former's anti-Maharashtra stance over the boundary row between the neighbouring States, the astute politician took the wind out of sails of the saffron party by paying homage to the martyrs of the unified Maharashtra movement.

The Sena, which vociferously opposed Krishna's appointment as the Governor, had demanded that the former Karnataka Chief Minister should pay respect at the historical Hutatma Chowk in south Mumbai after taking over the new assignment or face stringent agitation.

But the year 2004 had begun with the four major political parties namely Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP bracing themselves up for the general and Assembly polls.

The saffron combine, then running the Union Government, was hoping to retain its power at the national level and storm back in Maharashtra replacing the "inept and ineffective" DF.

But Congress president Sonia Gandhi's whirlwind tour of the State in contrast to BJPs hi-tech campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha polls caught the fancy of the common man catapulting the party and its allies to power at the Centre.

The victory in the Lok Sabha polls, gave the Congress-NCP confidence to ward off the anti-incumbency baggage and take on the demoralized Sena-BJP saffron combine.

Ahead of the polls, Shinde turned Santa Claus, doling out sops for every region and section of the society. In his bid to overtake Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who had announced free power to farmers, if the saffron combine was voted to power in the State, Shinde announced implementation of the scheme without taking into consideration its financial implication.