Mumbai: Social media has been abuzz with hashtags and memes of the political drama unfolding in Maharashtra. Amid all the jokes on the stalemate between parties and the resultant political crisis, some praise was also showered on NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s political acumen.
The Shiv Sena, which had refused to support ally BJP after the combine won the Maharashtra elections, found itself at the receiving end of most jokes as the party was unable to meet the 7.30 pm Monday deadline given by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to prove support to form a stable government. The Sena failed to cobble up a non-BJP government after the Congress decided to have more talks with ally NCP on supporting the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
One of the memes that is being circulated on WhatsApp shows Pawar holding some files in his hands and carries a caption: “If required, all political arrogance will be destroyed here: Silver Oak”.
Silver Oak is the name of Pawar’s residence where he held a meeting of his core committee members Monday.
The government formation in Maharashtra turned out to be a potboiler with new twists and turns taking place each hour of the day in the past week. When it seemed that the state was heading for a President’s Rule Monday evening, Governor Koshiyari invited Pawar’s NCP to show numbers to form government.
The invitation came barely hours after Koshiyari refused to give the Shiv Sena a 48-hour extension to secure its numbers. The NCP was then given time until 8.30 pm Tuesday.
Governor Koshiyari, however, recommended President’s Rule much before the deadline for NCP expired, reportedly after the party sought another 48 hours to show letters of support from Congress and Sena MLAs.
President’s Rule has already been imposed in Maharashtra.
Also read: Cabinet clears President’s Rule in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena moves SC against Governor
#TumSENAhoPayega to TCS-Wipro offer letters
The social media has trained its guns on the turncoats too even as people share jokes and memes to explain the situation in Maharashtra. A meme pokes fun at a number of Congress leaders who had left the party and joined the BJP.
Nitesh Rane, former Congress MLA and son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, had joined the BJP ahead of the assembly elections. In a post that has gone viral in Mumbai, Nitesh, Narayan and Nitesh’s brother Nilesh are shown with a caption that reads: “I came to the party and the meal is already over.”
In yet another meme, Pawar can be seen busily reading the party’s magazine with the accompanying caption: “You broke my party and I broke your alliance (referring to the break-up of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance)”.
Another post, with a hashtag #TumSENAhoPayega, makes fun of the Sena’s “plight”: “Shiv Sena ka haal aisa kar diya ki bhandaare mai gaye toh khana khatam, bahar aaye toh chappal chori” [Shiv Sena’s situation has become such that if it goes to a bhandara (community meal) the food would be over and when it comes out, its slippers would have been stolen].
Another post on Twitter, again with the hashtag #TumSENAhopayega, reads: “Arvind Sawant resigned from TCS to join Wipro. Walked out in style. But Wipro did not release the offer letter”.
It refers to the recent resignation of Sena MP and Union minister Arvind Sawant earlier this week.
If Sena, NCP and the Congress come together, they will have a comfortable majority in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. While the Sena had secured 56 seats, the NCP won 54 and the Congress 44 seats in the state assembly elections held last month.
Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi, after speaking with Pawar, had Tuesday authorised three senior party leaders — Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and K.C. Venugopal — to hold further talks on the government formation in Maharashtra.
Also read: Maharashtra plot thickens as Governor invites NCP after Congress dithers over backing Sena