Enter it, escape it

The lsquoChakravyuhrsquomdashthe epic Mahabharatarsquos battle formationmdashis quite popular in political parlance for describing an isolated leaderrsquos encirclement by the Opposition forces The son of Arjuna Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuh and perished because he lacked the knowledge to break through the entrapment In Maharashtra politics exCM Devendra Fadnavis said that the Opposition had been trying to lay a trap for him but unlike the classic character he was a modern Abhimanyu who knew how to enter the Chakravyuh and escape it too The Dy CMrsquos comments came in response to observations about whether the Opposition had cherrypicked him as a sole target in the runup to the Assembly electionsPrime targetSeveral eventsinformation have led observers to believe that Fadnavis is a prime target of those who go soft on some of his associates in his party the government and the ruling alliance called Mahayuti Last week was marked by viral information that NCP Sharad Pawar working president Supriya Sule had asked her party spokespersons to profusely attack Devendra Fadnavis and spare CM Eknath Shinde and also avoid criticising a Maratha activist Manoj Jarange who has emerged as Fadnavisrsquos harshest critic whose posturing had given the MVA a clear advantage in some Lok Sabha constituencies Jarange has threatened to do the same in the Assembly electionsA taglinemdashlsquoShinde se bair nahi Devendra teri khair nahirsquo which translates as lsquowe have no enmity with Shinde but we donrsquot spare Fadnavisrsquo had become a topic of discussion in political and media circles When asked Sule questioned the authenticity of the information She demanded a video recording if any of her making such statements to the spokespersonslsquoPeople knowrsquoThe BJP leaders did not buy Sulersquos explanation Fadnavis supporters took turns to counter the NCP leaderrsquos alleged strategy Fadnavis came out with a rejoinder later but with a pinch of sarcasm ldquoIrsquom very thankful to her I feel honouredrdquo he told media persons He later told TV9rsquos conclave that his emergence as the Oppositionrsquos sole target had reaffirmed his position as a leader who as the CM had given the state a new vision and unprecedented development ldquoPeople know what I have done for the state and what they Opposition have done The people wonrsquot fall for a campaign against me The Opposition has nothing else to say except things against me every morning noon and nightrdquo he saidChoppy watersWhatever high his confidence level has always been the choppy waters are here to stay to destabilise Fadnavis There is no reason for him to not understand the roughness within and outside his area of work He will be watched for escaping the Chakravyuh because he has already entered it taking on the layers of attackers who have earned more teeth post the Lok Sabha elections In addition to being a focal point of the very aggressive Opposition the intraBJP arrangements for Fadnavis have altered since June 2022 Add to it the issues within MahayutiThe conditions the exCM enjoyed and benefited from in the 2014 and 2019 elections are not available to him in 2024 Senior leaders like Nitin Gadkari who did not really take a keen interest in state politics are being pressed into service this time around The RSS a common link between Gadkari and Fadnavis is expected to be seen in a grand action unlike Lok Sabha polls to support the BJPrsquos cause of emerging as a single largest party Several senior leaders and ministers from seven to eight states have been stationed across Maharashtra to prepare the party for the electionsThe concept of collective leadership has been floated ahead of the state elections making it clear that the party does not intend to project anyone as the CMrsquos face Amidst controversies over hogging credit for the lsquoLadki Bahn Yojanarsquo the Mahayuti partners are inching towards a seatsharing pact Once finalised it will be interesting to see whose stamp of influence the BJPrsquos list of poll candidates carriesPS The BJP leaders who will be touring the state have been instructed to break fast and dine at the local party workersrsquo homes instead of posh restaurants and crowded roadside dhabas There was speculation whether this particular advice stemmed from a yearold controversy over state party president Chandrashekhar Bawankulersquos statement regarding treating journalists at dhabasDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajoreSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom