Mumbai is the centre of corporate India and roughly 70 to 80 per cent of the funds from the corporates are collected by the BJP from Maharashtra. The high collections were there before 2014 also for BJP but the amount leapfrogged after the BJP came to power in 2014 and this further got momentum with the formation of the Government in the state also in the same year. Now, the sudden loss is sure to give a halt to that growth momentum and the Congress and the NCP, apart from Shiv Sena, should be in a position to take away a good share of the funds from the corporates that were otherwise diverted to the BJP.

The BJP took big advantage of the electoral bonds in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as also in the state assembly elections later. The ADR report shows that most of the electoral bonds were sold in Mumbai and the BJP got lion's share of these bonds. Apart, there are so many ways for the ruling Party at the centre to mobilise funds for the elections from the cash rich financial capital of the country.

Congress leaders in Karnataka have accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing electoral bonds to raise money anonymously to fund not just assembly elections last year but also engineering defections to destabilise governments formed by other parties across the country. There are reports that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) broke rules for illegal sale of electoral bonds by citing exceptions to the rule. The BJP is so blatant that it is allowing anonymous money to flow in for its political gains. According to the report, rules for the issuing of electoral bonds were relaxed ahead of elections in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana.

The Congress and its estranged ally, the JD(S) have accused the BJP of using black money to lure legislators from other parties. A total of 17 legislators from Congress and JD(S) resigned and later defected to the BJP that led to the collapse of the 14 month old H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka.

The BJP is fielding 13 out of the 17 defectors in the 5 December bypolls that will determine the future of the four-month old government of Yediyurappa. The election affidavits made by the defectors show an increase in their wealth from last year, attracting sharp reactions from the opposition that has accused the BJP of paying huge amounts of money to engineer the defection.

For the BJP, there are serious causes for worry if the coalition government continues in Maharashtra. The state government with its official machinery is expected to launch investigations in a number of cases involving the BJP leaders like the PMC Bank scam as also DHFL. Mumbai is a centre of such scam tainted banks connected to the political leaders of all parties. Just as the BJP government targeted the other opposition parties including the Congress and the NCP, the new Shiv Sena led government is sure to target many of the important BJP leaders of the state, since Shiv Sena, as its old partner, is in know of many acts of the BJP leaders of the earlier state government. Further, some of the old cases against the BJP leaders, which were closed, might be reopened.

From all indications, it will be a free for all, tit for tat. Shiv Sena is not like Congress, it cares little for civility. In the present political scenario, it is the fittest political party to take on the BJP on its turf. The Congress must not lose this big opportunity to take on BJP with added ammo. One pro BJP commentator inadvertently mentioned in his column the parallel of Hitler versus West and Stalin. Yes, the present political situation is like that. The wreckers of the Constitution are ruling at the centre and they are celebrating the 70th year of the Indian Constitution. There is need for all out unity against those forces represented by saffrons. Shiv Sena can be a part of that broad unity but the Congress as also the Left have to be innovative in dealing with Shiv Sena.

There is every need for the Congress and other democratic forces to ensure that the anti-BJP front expands in the coming period in the interests of protecting the constitutional values of India. (IPA Service)