After weeks of indecision, last week the Congress party got serious about sewing up its alliance with the NCP ahead of next month’s Maharashtra polls. But, even after the Grand Old Party finally put to rest the notion of contesting alone, the Congress has continued to wrangle with its ally first over the number of seats and now, over which seats it will contest. Meanwhile, the BJP faces an open rebellion in the aftermath of its seat-sharing pact with the Shiv Sena. The heartburn election alliances have caused in recent days reflects the importance of these negotiations. A well-devised seat-sharing agreement can go a long way in determining the winner on election day. But the ongoing events in Maharashtra have the potential to tell us not just about the shape of Maharashtra’s next government but also about the future of politics in the country as a whole.

For the Congress, the Maharashtra polls are a first test of the lessons the party has (or has not) learned from spring’s national elections. The party’s initial indecision about whether to ally with the NCP and its continued talk of possibly eschewing alliances in the coming elections in Bihar and Jharkhand has intimated the possibility that the Congress had become overconfident and misread the results of Elections 2009. However, the Congress’ ultimate posture in Maharashtra suggests something different. The party is driving a hard bargain with the NCP, but appears willing to compromise for the sake of the alliance. Such a strategy may be an ideal one in this and future assembly elections.

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