Bengaluru: Truth is bitter. Politics of opportunism can’t sustain long. 

Focus your lens on the Maharashtra government formation imbroglio and you won’t get a better example of how parties with parochial interests have messed themselves completely. 

On Monday (November 18) NCP leader Sharad Pawar was slated to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Everyone in the Shiva Sena was eagerly waiting for the meet as the agenda was to discuss the government formation in the state. However, much to everyone’s surprise, and maybe, consternation as well, Sharad Pawar declared that he did not have any word on the government formation with Sonia Gandhi. 

The Shiva Sena is still in talks with the NCP and the Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra. Now that Pawar hasn’t broached the issue with the Congress president, there is a seething frustration among the rank and file of the Shiva Sena that the prospect of joining hands with the NCP-Congress combine should be shelved. 

Not just that, the Shiva Sena sainiks want the BJP to go back to its old friend BJP. They feel that a party like theirs, with 80 percent social work and 20 percent politics should concentrate on mending fences with the BJP. 

Ideologies do matter, don’t they? For Shiv Sena to share stage with the Congress and NCP would only suicidal. The people of the state voted for a BJP-Sena prepoll alliance. But now to issue a divorce after the mandate has been given, would certainly not bode well for the Shiva Sena. 

In fact, a draft of the common minimum programme was also made ready. This draft was given to the chiefs of all the three parties. Keeping this in the background, the meet between the top leaders Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi had gained much significance. 

It’s been almost a month since the Maharashtra Assembly poll results were announced, yet there is no government.