For Mahayuti, the real threat is not MVA or Uddhav Thackeray, but its own alliance partners, as egos and ambition threaten to widen cracks ahead of the year-end elections

(From left) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. File pic/Shadab Khan

As the Supreme Court directs the Maharashtra government to hold local body elections, all eyes will now be on how the Mahayuti (BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP) handles seat sharing, poll campaigning and other issues.

While many see this as a numbers game, the real deal would be whether the alliance stays united or will the ambition and aspirations of local party workers lead to further cracks. The outcome will have an impact on the state government and may even redefine the remaining 4.5 years of the BJP-led Mahayuti government.  

A few years back, NITI Aayog declared its ambitious plan for MMR, to double its GDP from 140 billion dollars in 2022-23 to 300 billion dollars by 2028; whoever runs these cities holds the key to this massive economic shift. No wonder then that control over local bodies is not merely about cleaning drains or fixing roads, but about control over cash-rich municipal corporations like those in Mumbai and fast-developing sister cities like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mira Bhayandar and Vasai Virar.

For BJP, winning the BMC election has been a long-standing dream. Though........

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