The rain over Nariman Point was relentless, matching the high-security suite inside the luxury Mumbai hotel. On the television, headlines screamed about the Mahayuti alliance sweeping 16 out of 17 seats in the Legislative Council elections.
Inside, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tapped a gold pen against the winner’s list. He had just engineered a massive coup, convincing a prized close aide of the opposition to switch sides.
“A clean sweep,” Fadnavis said, his voice flat. “But let’s not mistake an electoral eviction of Uddhav Thackeray for peace in our own house. Our ground workers are fighting over who gets the credit.”
Across the table, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde adjusted his collar, eyes narrowing. His faction had absorbed Thackeray’s defectors, but the power dynamic within the coalition was shifting rapidly.
“They are fighting because your people treat our cadres like junior interns,” Shinde spat out, slamming a hand lightly on the glass. “Yet, every crucial civic fund allocation mysteriously finds its way to your side. My boys are asking if we won an election or signed a surrender.”
From his distant headquarters, a bruised Uddhav Thackeray watched the news. To the press, he bitingly called this entire betrayal ‘Operation Devendra’. He openly warned that the alliance was a house of cards, engineered solely to clip Fadnavis’s wings from within.
Back in the suite, Fadnavis didn’t blink, leaning forward toward his deputy. “Do not forget who holds the keys to this fortress, Eknath. If your cadres cannot fall in line, the Mahayuti will move without them.”
A heavy silence fell, punctuated only by the thunder outside.
The alliance had conquered the state, yet both leaders knew the enemy was no longer outside.
The most dangerous threats were sharing the spoils of war at their own table.
News Edit KV Raman
