COURTESY TIMES OF INDIA OCT 28

Don’t Squabble
BJP, Shiv Sena must sort out their issues and hit the ground running in Maharashtra
Political uncertainty in Haryana having ended, the focus shifts squarely to Maharashtra. Here the tussle over power sharing began on Thursday afternoon, even before all the election results had been formally declared. It’s not at all wrong for political parties to drive a hard bargain during negotiations, but the parleys will take off in earnest only after Diwali. And yet it already looks like the political chessboard is taking precedence over the chief reasons people choose a government for their state.

If chessboard games go too far, it’s a sign that priorities of netas might be skewed already. It would also demonstrate disrespect for the popular verdict, which is undoubtedly in favour of the BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. That is why the saffron allies must sort out issues of distribution of portfolios and the question of the chief minister’s post quickly, so that the government is formed at the earliest and gets down to real work.

The Sena has said it’s not greedy for power. Yet all the noises from its camp are about obtaining the top post for its new young dynast. And BJP is busy rubbishing Sena’s preferred 50-50 formula. What Maharashtra needs urgently is a government that’s up and running, provides good governance and brings in transparency and accountability. Agrarian distress is still severe in the state, the rural economy is struggling, and the floods wrought havoc during the monsoon in several parts. Measures to alleviate these problems and take the state on the path to progress need to be taken urgently, so there’s no need for the saffron parties to drag their negotiations until November 8, the deadline for formation of the new assembly.

Crucial infrastructure projects that had taken off during the Devendra Fadnavis government’s first term need to be completed while at the same time sticking to environmental norms. Jalyukt Shivar – the CM’s most ambitious irrigation scheme – would have to pick up speed, especially in the arid region of Marathwada. Several central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana need pushing so that Modi government’s target of housing for all by 2022 can be achieved. The opposition too could do its duty by demanding that the state administration, constrained for a month by the poll code of conduct, gets going immediately