CM election and smoke out of Nagpur chimney: What all the MLAs could try to expedite their search

By Anand Mazgaonkar 

The NDA won the elections on 23rd November, 2024. But, as of 3rd December Maharashtra doesn’t yet have a Government or Chief Minister. Perhaps it is easier to form a Government if you don’t have majority, split has to be engineered in other parties, elected members have to sheperded to resorts etc. Forming a Government, selecting a Chief Minister is probably difficult if you have a majority of your own! 

The indecision, certainly, can’t be because newly elected MLAs have started having guilt pangs because of what they may have done with EVMs or cash containers. May be, Mr Adani is too busy with his Court cases in the US and is therefore unable to make up his mind on who he wants in his pocket. He has to choose from an alphabet soup of E, D, A etc., and make it look like the CM face has the blessings of N and A in Delhi. He probably has to also put a system in place whereby he can run the Delhi and Maharashtra Governments from inside a US jail. Obviously dear friend Trump’s sarkar and the $ 10 billion investment promise would be handy! 

Who knows, White House may start using Fortune oil in all its cooking. What a triumph that would be for brand Modi! Adani’s Fortune oil billboards on White House fence!

Whatever be the case one can fully understand Mr Adani’s plight and sympathise with him.

Here are a few things they could try to expedite their CM search:

* kidnap their own MLAs to some resort, preferably to Surat first, then Guwahati. Remember, it worked very well last time? Victorious Maharashtra MLAs going to Assam would also possibly help Himanta Biswa Sarma deal with his Jharkhand pain, wasted hate-mongering etc. Any assistance to Himanta Biswa Sarma lick his wounds would be welcome at this difficult time for him

* go slow on looking for temples under mosques, instead dig into the minds of their own MLAs to decipher their real choice, may be, get an order from some pliant Court to conduct narco-test, truth serum test etc. 

* programme EVMs to not just elect Delhi’s choice MLAs but also select CM

* seek Justice Chandrachud’s advice on who should be made Chief Minister, he is in direct communication with Almighty God.

Since the CM selection process is so protracted it would obviously have divine sanction, therefore like there’s white smoke out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on a Pope’s election, saffron or pink smoke can be let out of PM Modi’s 7, Lok Kalyan Marg or Mr Amit Shah’s residence! 

And, if they want to present a picture of unity / unanimity they can let smoke out of all three places – PM’s residence, Home Minister’s residence as well as the Nagpur headquarters!