The Congress and its Maharashtra first cousin, the Nationalist Congress Party led by Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, have been through several phases in their relationship but have abided by one another on the whole. The two are ruling coalition partners in both New Delhi and Mumbai. The fear of being upstaged by the Shiv Sena-BJP, although the latter are these days a weaker force than before, is the glue that keeps the two together, although in both parties there are elements which from time to time speak up against forming a common front. The issue has cropped up yet again on the eve of the election to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the nation’s largest municipal entity. Indeed, the advice to go it alone usually surfaces before an election, and usually it is the Congress to blame.
In the 227-member BMC, the NCP has asked for a share of 65 seats to contest. Even those Congress leaders — such as Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and the party’s Mumbai city chief Kripa Shankar Singh — who are pro-alliance are said to be of the view that the NCP demand is too high. Addressing his own party, Mr Pawar had given the impression of setting a deadline (which passed Monday) for stitching up the alliance. But talks are still on, suggesting the absence of an ultimatum. Whatever the outcome of the talks, it is premature to conclude that these two parties are about to part ways. In this very real sense, the relationship between the Congress and the NCP appears qualitatively different from the one that obtains between the Congress and its eastern ally, the Trinamul Congress. It is also well to remember that the Congress and NCP have stuck it together even when they failed to strike a deal in BMC polls in the past.
The Congress and NCP have both done extraordinarily well (humbling the BJP, Shiv Sena and MNS) in the recent Maharashtra local body election, although the two contested many seats against one another. This fact may be promoting some degree of brinkmanship on both sides in preparation for BMC nominations, due to open on January 24. The present difficulties of the Congress-led UPA-2 in Parliament may also be stiffening demands on the NCP side, although unlike some other parties the NCP’s conduct in Parliament as a Congress ally has been above reproach. In the final analysis, both parties are expected to retain a sense of perspective if they are not to rock the boat at the Centre and in the state. If their alliance holds in the BMC poll, and the two can put up a good show, UPA-2 as a whole would gain politically when times are wobbly.