When the list of Maharashtra’s new guardian ministers was released this week by the government, an unprecedented trend of various leaders being upset with the announcement was seen. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was so upset that he went away on an unplanned vacation to his village in Satara district, while leaders from Ajit Pawar’s NCP were unhappy, too, over some of them not being given prominent positions on the list. This is not the first time that such resentment is seen among the leaders of the Mahayuti, a political alliance of three parties that runs the Maharashtra government. Recently, similar feelings were seen and heard over the portfolio distribution and then over some other issues related to the sharing of power within the government. At the root of this is the BJP’s new agenda of being aggressive and taking over the lion's share in the newly-formed government.

In 2022, when Eknath Shinde decided to split from Uddhav Thackeray and brought 40 members of the legislative party of Shiv Sena with him to form the government in Maharashtra, the BJP was magnanimous and asked him to lead the government in the state despite having the biggest number in the House. For two and a half years, Shinde was the CM, and the BJP agreed to play second fiddle. But it is now becoming very clear and........

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