“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

The major political parties in the state are busy in hurling charges and counter-charges, which are purely political in nature. Even economic issues are shrouded in political slugfest. There are no two opinions that political manoeuvring of the past five years in Maharashtra has come at a cost.

In the first 30 months, important projects like the Mumbai Metro and the Bullet Train suffered due to politicking. There are many issues and many problems, which will have to be dealt on an urgent basis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is criticised by the opposition for frequently visiting Maharashtra. But they must respect the fact that if political instability is not ended at the earliest, it will adversely not just Maharashtra but pose a major roadblock for the Indian Economy. This is so since any dent in the GDP of Maharashtra will affect the national economy.

The splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party have created an unprecedented political scenario in Maharashtra. The effect of this development on the coming election is difficult to predict but most analysts feel that it will lead to a division of the traditional Shiv Sena vote base, Marathi Manoos. The splits have created new sub-groups that have resulted in local infighting, as each faction claims  to belong to the original Sena. The Shinde faction has been trying to exploit this sentiment but the arrival of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray in the electoral arena has further complicated the division, adding to Uddhav Thackeray’s difficulties. While the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has raised the issue of defending the pride of Maharashtra, BJP-led saffron alliance is confident that the various schemes it has launched in recent months to benefit various sections will bring in the bonus in the election. Both sides have promised political stability but how the  voter responds to it will determine the outcome.

For the first time, an assembly election in the state will have a dominant caste projection. A major issue that will impact the outcome will be the growing discontent over the Maratha reservation issue. The Maratha community has nearly 30 per cent of the state’s population and it is political strong as it holds the reins of power, one way or the other. Its leaders have been demanding inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation category to secure government jobs and seats in educational institutions. The movement has shown more activity in Marathwada region. The OBCs  have united against the demand as it can cut their benefits, if granted. Thus, the coming election will prove to be a gamechanger.

According to past projections, when India’s GDP growth rate was hovering around seven percent, Maharashtra’s GDP was growing at a much higher rate. As the state is the largest contributor to the national GDP, whatever happens in Maharashtra due to instability, the overall investment scenario is affected to that extent. Due to a massive infrastructure plan, the Mumbai metropolitan region is holding the potential to unbelievable development in the coming years. Job creation and enhanced per capita income are the two important challenges India is facing. Therefore, any impediments in job creation will have a multiplier effect on the economy and the export capacity. There is no doubt that Maharashtra is the most  important growth centre for India and the new regime will have to toil to retain that momentum and spirit.

According to available data, Maharashtra is India’s leading state in terms of the economy and second in terms of population size. While the Centre is increasingly encouraging infrastructure development across India, the state’s spending and debut burden is growing due to various recent decisions. In this situation, Maharashtra must demonstrate how it stands above all other states. This is because states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana have been able to get bigger projects. While the neighbouring Gujarat has maintained its impressive march, the same can’t be said about Maharashtra. The state’s leadership, hence, will have to play a proactive role to ensure that the growth engine is not thwarted and stability is the key to create such reassurance.

All said and done, Maharashtra is a prime investment destination, attracting foreign direct investments as well. There are now industrial units busy manufacturing semiconductors, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid vehicles and power electronics. No other state has so much diversity of industrial activity. With due effort, Maharashtra can easily become home for new technology and its application.

Maharashtra’s One trillion dollar GDP dream can become a reality only if there is steady industrial development.  It will need a peaceful law and order situation and zero political interference. The new government will have to first face this challenge. If this happens, the prime position of Maharashtra will be assured with renewed vigour in true and complete sense.