Mumbai: Now that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has crossed the Sena hurdle in the Maharashtra Assembly, all eyes are on him as to how will he take up the development work in the scam-tainted state. Â A reality check reveals that the financial capital is on ventilator. It has no open space, little greenery, terrible roads, inadequate transport facilities, midnight traffic jams and unaffordable homes. The burgeoning metropolis has been screaming for help for years but to no avail. It would be really challenging for the Chief Minister to run the sleeping state.
It’s also possible that the agitated Sena may create ruckus in the government procedure, especially in Mumbai as Sena heads the BMC.  Sena will lose no opportunity to remind its old ally of their campaign promise to end corruption.
A state which is in recent past, hit by scams like Adarsh, Irrigation, Lavasa, it would be interesting to see how Fadnavis works in the minority government. There are high expectations from Fadnavis, who has a keen interest in the economy and business management credentials from Berlin. Legend has it that even Congress leaders like the late Vilasrao Deshmukh would wait to hear young Devendra’s critical dissection of the state Budget in the assembly and applaud it.
Well he has his task cut out – the state’s coffers are more than just empty. The state has a total debt of over Rs 3 lakh crore. Add to that the pre-election splurges by then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, which pushed the estimated revenue deficit for Financial Year 2014-15 from Rs 4,100 crore to Rs 26,000 crores.
On Wednesday, the BJP government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis won the floor test by a voice vote on Wednesday. Shiv Sena’s legislators shouted the loudest nays, voting against BJP. Sharad Pawar’s NCP remained silent to abstain from the vote.Â
Conducted immediately after the motion was tabled by BJP in the House, Fadnavis was able to sail through even after the party’s estranged ally, Shiv Sena, has declared it will vote against it. Details on how Sena voted will be clear in a while.
Earlier in the day, BJP’s Haribhau Bagde was elected Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly unopposed, securing BJP government its first victory of the day. BJP managed the Speaker’s post after Shiv Sena, which has declared that it is going to vote against their estranged partner in the Assembly, and Congress withdrew their candidates for the post.
The Congress candidate Varsha Gaikwad withdrew her nomination for the Speaker’s post after their former ally, NCP, declined to support it. Gaikwad had earlier met NCP chief Sharad Pawar to seek support for her candidature.
Fadnavis had earlier appealed to Congress and Sena to facilitate unopposed election of the Speaker in the Assembly.
Ahead of the crucial vote of confidence in the state Assembly on Wednesday, Shiv Sena announced its decision to sit in the opposition instead of supporting BJP.
The win means that the government of  Fadnavis, 44, sworn in 13 days ago is safe for now. This morning he had also crossed another hurdle, with the BJP winning the Speaker’s post unopposed, after the Shiv Sena and the Congress withdrew their candidates.
However, Congress cried foul and asked BJP to prove its majority once again, alleging that the Speaker was biased. Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said he would approach the Governor and ask to re-conduct the floor test in the Assembly.
Shiv Sena, too, took pot-shots at BJP saying the Saffron party has betrayed the people of Maharashtra and has disrespected the mandate. It also threatened BJP of lodging protest against trust vote.
Earlier, BJP had said it was open to take support from anyone except Congress. The remark by Rudy, who was in-charge of Maharashtra affairs of BJP till recently, indicated that BJP was not averse to receiving support of all non-Congress parties in the state, including  NCP.
“Those who want to come forward for the development of Maharashtra should come. We want to take along all those who want to come forward for the development of Maharashtra. I hope Shiv Sena will turn around,” Rudy had said.
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