I’m in amchi Mumbai where the BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has just swept the municipal elections, attending a conference of some 300-odd business leaders and professionals from across India, and it is not amusing to be asked again and again about the political theatre of Tamil Nadu. “You guys in TN are amazing, how can the people allow some novice who has no proven experience in political leadership to usurp the State?” This question is thrown at me umpteen times.

That the newly anointed AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala is ruling the roost from a cell in Bengaluru by remote control is not new in Indian politics. Bihar strongman Lalu Prasad did it in Patna, the redoubtable Bal Thackeray always held the remote of any Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, and the mother of all remotes was held by Congress president Sonia Gandhi during 10 years of UPA rule.

But what is questioned, rather ridiculed, is how somebody who never held, forget a ministerial or an important party post, but even the label of an MLA, can take over both the party and the government. Add to this Sasikala making her nephew TTV Dinakaran the deputy general secretary of the party, and flaunting at the funeral the same family members whom she had sworn to Jayalalithaa she’d cut off relations with, raises questions on how one woman can hijack the ruling party and Jaya’s legacy. That her conviction by the Supreme Court hasn’t dented her clout is a bigger surprise.

UP’s bizarre politics

But it’s not as though only the political happenings in Tamil Nadu are bizarre. Uttar Pradesh had its own share of drama before it went to the polls with its chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, sparring with father Mulayam, and emerging victor. And then during the campaign we had the UP CM advising Amitabh Bacchhan, the brand ambassador for Gujarat Tourism, not to endorse the “ gadhe ” or “donkeys of Gujarat”. The barb went home and Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the tables on Akhilesh by endorsing the positive qualities of donkeys and said he took inspiration from donkeys who work hard and are loyal to their masters.

BJP president Amit Shah created another controversy by dubbing the opposition parties “KASAB” — Congress (ka in Hindi), SP and BSP. While BSP supremo Mayawati hit back saying “ Aaj is desh me Amit Shah se bada koi aur Kasab (the terrorist captured in the Mumbai terror attacks) nahi ho sakta , (Today there is no bigger Kasab in India than Amit Shah), Akhilesh said Ka also stands for kabootar (pigeon) and called Shah one, adding “People will set the BJP’s kabootar free in this election”.

The one person who is not making any waves is Rahul Gandhi. How long the Congress will continue to project him as the face of the party remains a puzzle. Even Sheila Dixit, who has withdrawn her name as the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate in UP after her party struck an alliance with the SP, has said that “Rahul is not yet mature, give him time”!

Star turn

But the man who has stolen the show is Devendra Fadnavis. The Congress and NCP, and even the BJP ally Shiv Sena, which did not align with the BJP in these polls, had thought that the displeasure of the people against the Modi government’s demonetisation move would be reflected in the results. They felt that as rural Maharashtra, a predominantly agrarian economy, was badly affected by demonetisation, particularly as district cooperatives banks, on which most of the farming community depends, were not allowed to exchange notes, badly affecting the farmers during the rabi season, it would vote against the BJP.

To add to his woes, the Brahmin chief minister had on his hands the Marathas agitating for reservation. Surprisingly the BJP emerged the largest party, winning 52 council chairman’s positions, proving wrong the Opposition and detractors within the party. The route to the airport revealed a number of hoardings with pictures of Modi and Fadnavis thanking the people for reiterating their faith in the BJP. While the Congress and NCP have been decimated, the Shiv Sena has been made to eat humble pie.

The BJP win in the local polls is perhaps an indication that despite the hardships of demonetisation, the aam aadmi really believes that it was an earnest attempt to get rid of black money and corruption. If UP goes the BJP way, this surmise will be further strengthened.

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