Unease in Maha’s ruling coalition as Sena MLAs lose security cover

Tensions within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition have deepened following the withdrawal of security cover from nearly 20 Shiv Sena MLAs, marking the latest flashpoint between allies.

In 2022, 44 Shiv Sena MLAs were granted Y level security after they broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s faction to join hands with the BJP. Now, the decision to revoke security has left Eknath Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena disgruntled, even though BJP and NCP leaders have also been affected—albeit to a lesser extent.

“The highest number of MLAs affected are from Shiv Sena—20 of them have lost their security cover,” a Sena leader said. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP defended the move, stating that security decisions were made by the Home Department’s Security Review Committee and were not politically motivated. “No one should play politics over this,” said Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio.

This comes amid ongoing friction between the alliance partners. Recently, the Maharashtra Cabinet was forced to amend rules to include Deputy CM Shinde in the state’s Disaster Management Authority, which originally comprised only the Chief Minister and NCP’s Ajit Pawar (in his capacity as Finance Minister).

Security classification

• X – Likely threat
• Y – Constant threat
• Y – Grave threat
• Z – Impending threat

Another point of contention emerged when Shinde pushed for Sena leaders to be appointed as guardian ministers for Nashik and Raigad. Fadnavis, however, backed NCP’s Aditi Tatkare and BJP’s Girish Mahajan for the roles. Facing resistance from Sena MLAs, Fadnavis had to put the appointments on hold.

Adding to the friction, Shinde established a parallel office in the Maharashtra Secretariat to oversee mega projects—a move that Fadnavis downplayed but was seen as a power assertion by the Sena leader.

Despite these internal conflicts, the BJP remains comfortably positioned in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. With 132 MLAs of its own and support from five independents, the BJP’s strength stands at 137—just eight short of the 145 needed for a simple majority. Meanwhile, the NCP holds 41 seats and Shiv Sena has 57, making both allies crucial but not indispensable to the BJP’s hold on power.