Halfway through its five-year term, it is time for the Maha Vikas Aghadi to accept that it cannot escape a state–centre rift due to political reasons. The government will have to find a way to deliver on the fronts the opposition is aggressively marching on, if it is to live up to the people’s high expectations by the winter of 2024. A few months of this year will be useless in terms of taking policy decisions because of a model code of conduct for the local body polls that are slated to be held after the monsoon. So, expect a barrage of announcements before the poll regulation comes into force.

With a strong opposition in place, any government has to fight on multiple fronts. The MVA is no exception. The Uddhav Thackeray-led government has been able to stay politically stable so far, but it has not completely done away with a fear of breakdown that finds its genesis in the opposition’s tireless works. There is no ceasefire in sight. In fact, there will be none, anytime soon or later. The immediate challenge to both sides is to prove their superiority in the local body polls that help plan for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.