With the party landing into a pandemic shortly after coming into power, the Maha Vikas Aghadi has seen everything beginning from the outbreak, frictions and an economic slowdown.
The MVA government, constituted by three parties, has seen hurdles at every step of the way. And while they followed diverse ideologies, their collective aim of keeping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power was perhaps the only thing that worked for them.
However, the tri-party administration has trudged along considerably well, proving wrong all BJP soothsayers who have been marking their calendars while prophesying its downfall.
A year later, Uddhav Thackeray may have had little to explain, but only as successive governments did not invest significantly in ascertaining the required health infrastructure.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi's 'War Against the Virus' gained appreciation from far and wide - including the WHO, the BJP-led Centre, global media and the masses. Nonetheless, the state BJP leaders have continued "wanting more" from the Thackeray-led government.
In fact, troubles were far from over for the MVA. It wasn't long after the announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak when the Palghar lynching case led the Thackeray government into a spotlight.
The state also battled the wrath of Cyclone Nisargar, which ravaged many regions in Konkan, which forced Thackeray to handle what is today labelled as the 'second most challenging job in the country'.
June brought forth the untimely demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, which was instrumental in dragging both, Thackeray and his son Aditya, on social media across the country.
The MVA also countered this by successfully changing the location of the Mumbai Metro car shed from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg. However, when Devendra Fadnavis did make an effort to defend his move, Kishore Tiwari, Sena Leader, accused him of violating the oath of office, as well as attempting to favour some builders for the new site.
Kangana Ranaut's entry into the picture gave way to even more debates after she slammed both the Thackerays and Mumbai Police. Nonetheless, Shiv Sena-run BMC ended up detecting an illegal construction in the form of Kangana's Bandra bungalow and proceeded to what is still known as the 'war of words' between the two.
In more recent news, the MVA government was targeted by Republic TV, after holding its head for abetment to suicide case. A nationwide furore followed, for which the Sena faced action on the eve of its anniversary by Enforcement Directorate (ED).
As the calendar turns towards another year for the MVA, the Sena-NCP-Congress leaders have unitedly pledged that not only with the MVA complete its full term, but also rule for another 25 years. Much to the anguish of BJP!
(With inputs from IANS)
