Rahul Gaur, a casting director in Mumbai, says politicians in the state have been switching sides faster than a voter can keep track. His views:
As a voter in Maharashtra, I never felt as confused about an election as I did this time. The electoral contest was in a complete mess, with so many parties, factions, and alliances pulling in different directions. It’s hard to tell who stood for what and whom. The clear lines between ideologies that once helped us decide were replaced by alliances that felt more like deals of convenience than partnerships based on values or beliefs.
On one side, there was the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s faction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). On the other side was the Maha Yuti, led by the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena group and Ajit Pawar’s faction of NCP. Mind you, there are not just two Shiv Senas—one led by Uddhav Thackeray and the other by Eknath Shinde—but also two NCPs—one led by Sharad Pawar and the other by his nephew, Ajit. Pray what could get more confusing that mumbo jumbo?
I am sure other voters must have experienced the same confusion about who was following which ideology. Or did anyone even have an ideology anymore? Clearly, politicians are switching sides faster than we can keep track. Alliances are supposed to be about shared principles, but now they seem like power plays. The two factions of Shiv Sena both claim to represent Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy, but their actions say otherwise. Similarly, the split in NCP left us wondering which side is sticking to the party’s original goals and which one is chasing political power. As a voter, this was frustrating.
Indian electorate wants to make informed decisions, but the choices in Maharashtra aren’t clear anymore. Instead of focusing on real issues like jobs, education, and healthcare, we’re caught in a maze of alliances and breakups. It feels like we were voting for a reality show like Bigg Boss instead of electing a government.
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In the past, many of us supported parties because of their values or leaders. But things have changed. Voters today are more flexible—we look at performance, promises, and who we think will actually deliver. This is why governments in Maharashtra have changed so often. People aren’t tied to one party or ideology anymore, and they’re willing to hold politicians accountable.
But this time, the election felt different. With so many players in the game, it was hard to predict what would happen. The alliances were so tangled that it seems like everyone was connected to everyone else in some way. Even when the NDA has emerged the clear winner, you cannot say the political machinations and crossing over or horse trading will stop hereto.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to trust. Whom can we trust to work for the people and not just for power? It’s a tough decision, and the mess of alliances and factions didn’t help. For now, we can only hope that the new government will lead Maharashtra in the right direction. But honestly, it was never this hard to decide.
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As told to Deepti Sharma