Why Maharashtra Speaker’s non-disqualification of any MLA is a win-win for BJP

Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s decision on Wednesday not to disqualify MLAs from either faction of the Shiv Sena is likely to prove beneficial for the BJP, especially in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Sources say the BJP would have found itself in a tough spot had Narwekar disqualified legislators of any of the two – Shiv Sena (UBT) and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) – factions as it would have lost the perception battle just ahead of the polls.

Another perceived positive in the Speaker’s verdict for the BJP was the recognition of the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena. Narwekar, while dismissing 34 related petitions from both sides, ruled in Shinde’s favour, citing that a majority of the MLAs had sided with his faction when the party split in June 2022.

The disqualification of Sena (UBT) MLAs, sources said, would have put the BJP in a bad light and allowed Uddhav Thackeray to play the victim card in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. Moreover, the Shiv Sena is a party that thrives on emotions and the disqualification of Uddhav’s legislators would have garnered more public sympathy for him.

Surveys by the BJP and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suggest Uddhav has garnered sympathy after the split and the subsequent fall of the MVA government led by him. To add to this, he also lost the party name and symbol after the Election Commission (EC) ruled in Shinde’s favour. A source said the sympathy has increased as people believe the split and its consequences were engineered by the BJP.

“The Thackerays are the core of the emotion that binds the Sena. Any injustice to them resonates with supporters and cadre. Had Narwekar disqualified Sena (UBT) MLAs, Uddhav would have got an opportunity to further