I am a master in India

Chapter 440 The Terrified Tiger
India's general elections are normally held every five years.

Once the ruling party comes to power, it will continue to govern until its term expires, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

But "accidents" are not uncommon in India, otherwise there wouldn't be so many outrageous things.

Just one year after the BJP won the general election, the coalition government collapsed.

In April, the Andhra Pradesh government suddenly withdrew its support for the BJP, leading to a crisis of confidence in the coalition government.

A coalition government is a multi-party alliance that forms a government together.

The BJP won only 179 seats in last year's general election, failing to reach half of the 543 seats.

In order to successfully form a government, the BJP had to unite with those local small parties to get enough seats (272).

For example, the Progressive Party of Uttar Pradesh is one of the BJP's allies and contributed several seats to the coalition government.

Such alliances are inherently fragile. If the distribution of benefits is uneven, or if a party withdraws midway, a coalition government with less than half the seats will face a crisis of confidence in the cabinet.

The recent split between the BJP and local political parties in Andhra Pradesh stemmed from a dispute over the interests of officials.

The withdrawal of support in Andhra Pradesh caused the BJP to lose crucial votes.

According to procedure, the Vajpayee government needs to hold a vote of confidence in parliament with the support of the general council.

As a result, the BJP lost by one vote. According to the constitution, the government fell, parliament was dissolved, and a snap election was held.

Then a strange thing happened: the BJP had only been in power for a year when it had to rush to hold the next general election.

This farce is essentially an outbreak of the instability of government and the fragility of coalition politics under parliamentary democracy.

This is no accident. Since the early 90s, the fragmentation of political parties and the decentralization of power have been constantly disrupting India's political landscape.

The BJP briefly came to power in 96, lasting only thirteen days. That cabinet collapsed due to the loss of support from other political parties.

Subsequently, the "United Front" came to power. This alliance consisted of 13 political parties and was also in a state of chaos internally.

They each have their own agendas, and their disagreements are serious in some areas.

The coalition government that was formed changed three prime ministers in just two years, which was simply a joke.

The BJP's crisis of confidence this year is a continuation of the political struggles of previous years.

The new general election will be held in September, coincidentally around the same time as the Maharashtra state election.

So Mumbai is very lively now, and Ron had to rush back from Goa early.

His every move was being watched, and shortly after he landed, Thackeray called.

This bigwig is very anxious. Judging from the current situation in Mumbai, this election is very unfavorable to the Shiv Sena.

For the first time in so many years, Thackeray left his fortress-like villa and took the initiative to visit someone.

A large convoy of cars, surrounded by his henchmen, escorted him to the villa area in the Malabar Mountains.

Ron greeted the party leader, who was already in his seventies, in the foyer. He was indeed old; his hair was gray, and his back was no longer as straight.

“Sur, the Congress Party will destroy this city,” he said with absolute certainty.

“Don’t worry, the BJP will win,” Ron reassured him.

"Did you... hear something in New Delhi?"

"No, the current political situation in India is very clear."

"What do you mean?" Thackeray asked quickly.

Ron glanced at his former boss and sighed inwardly. Perhaps the pressure in Mumbai was too great, causing him to lose his judgment of the political landscape.

"Looking across India, the only party that can pose a threat to the BJP is the Congress Party. However, they won less than a third of the votes in the last general election."

In just one year, they won't have a significant advantage. Also, don't forget last year's nuclear test; countless neutral parties and members of the public greatly praised the BJP's actions.

The upcoming general election will only benefit the BJP. As for the other smaller parties, they're just there to make up the numbers.

"That's good, that's good." Thackeray nodded repeatedly.

As long as the BJP remains in control of New Delhi, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, what I just mentioned was the national election; the local elections in Mabang are different…

"Sur, what are your thoughts on Mumbai?"

"Huh?" Ron was confused.

"The state elections will take place in early September, exactly five years later."

"Hasn't Shiva's army always been in charge here in Mumbai?" Ron asked curiously.

“This time it’s a little different… You know Bujibar, right? That traitor from Shiva’s army, he’s a member of the Congress Party now.”

"What's wrong?" Ron sensed Thackeray's tension.

“He’s an insider; he knows a lot.”

Ron understood; the other side probably had some intelligence that was detrimental to Shiva's army.

“To be honest, this is your Shiva army’s own business, outsiders have no right to interfere.” “Fine, I knew it. That bastard… he dared to lay a hand on me…” Thackeray gritted his teeth, “No, this has never happened, and it never will… if they put me in jail, whoever put me in jail will not get away with it.”

This former leader of Shiva's army spoke with great conviction, as if he had returned to that era of great power and influence.

Thackeray had considered the possibility of his arrest.

He recently wrote in The Confrontational newspaper: “Not only Maharashtra, but the whole of India will suffer. This is a war waged by herdsmen and herders in the name of religion, and everyone will bear the consequences.”

However, Nirupam, a member of the Shiva Army and a member of parliament, saw the "benefits" of Thackeray's arrest: "In the election after the '93' riots, we won 30 out of 34 seats in the House of Representatives."

He told reporters, "If this is democracy, then the people have clearly expressed their will through voting. Another riot would only be more beneficial for us to consolidate our power."

Well, he believed that Thackeray's arrest would benefit the unity of Shiva's army and the people's support for them.

But the other leaders of Shiva's army were not so optimistic. Fearing arrest, they moved most of their activities underground during this period.

Kamat received the order and also went into hiding.

He would occasionally call Amor, telling him that he was on high alert under Chogshwari's command, constantly moving and never staying in one place for too long.

They share rooms with 15 to 20 people and travel by small car or motorcycle.

They also carried out secret missions, targeting public facilities: buses, trains, city government office buildings, etc.

If the blame could be pinned on the herders, making people mistakenly believe that this was an ethnic conflict caused by religious issues, that would be even better.

Kamat believes that this will unite Hindus.

“If you bring it up on a religious level, you’ll forget whether you’re a Gujarati or a Bihari. You are all Hindus, and you must unite to fight against the herders. This time, we must drive them out of Mumbai.”

The Shiva army throughout the city is gearing up for the next war.

The fact that Shiva's army is so nervous even before the election has started shows that they have little confidence in themselves.

They committed far too many evil deeds, and their methods were far too brutal. In particular, their attacks on celebrities in the arts and cricket were thrust into the spotlight.

“You should keep your men in check; they can’t go around causing trouble,” Ron hinted.

“It’s difficult, Sue. Sometimes it’s harder to pull back the fist you throw.” Thackeray’s voice was forlorn.

Ron completely understood what he meant; Thackeray's strongest supporters had always been young people aged sixteen to thirty.

Young people who are hot-blooded, impulsive, and unemployed are like dry gunpowder, ready to explode at any moment.

If Thackeray pushes his men out to take the hits, how can he expect young men to risk their lives for him?
He did the same thing during the last cricket star incident.

As a result, more and more of Shiva's army began to question his actions, and the Iron Throne beneath Thackeray began to sway slightly.

Those who were a bit older became more composed after this incident and lost their enthusiasm for causing trouble.

Faced with internal and external troubles, Thackeray knew that Shiva's army was becoming increasingly difficult to control, yet he could do nothing about it.

This tiger has grown old, and its intimidating power has greatly diminished.

“Do you know what happened in Delhi?” Thackeray suddenly asked.

"I've heard about the bombing."

"Yes, twenty people were injured in the explosion, and the police arrested the perpetrator, a herdsman. But guess what? News of the arrest spread among the herdsmen, and the loudspeakers of Qingzheng Temple immediately sounded the charge, making it seem like they were the victims."

According to Thackeray, a mob of about 1,500 strong young men stormed into the police station and forcibly took the suspect away.

“How long are we going to tolerate this kind of outrageous behavior?” Thackeray said agitatedly. “Who are these herders? What rights do they have? Why don’t they go back to Bengal! This is terrible and heartbreaking.”

“New Delhi will handle this.” Ron didn’t want to discuss the topic.

“Such a thing will never happen in Mumbai, as long as Shiva’s army is there, unless they step over our dead bodies.” Thackeray proudly puffed out his chest.

He could easily claim that there have been no community riots since the Shiva Army came to power.

“You have protected Mumbai’s peace and security, and I believe the people will make the right choice,” Ron reassured him.

"And what about you over here..."

"I will speak with the people below and assure them that you will have enough polling stations during the election."

Thackeray didn't seem too satisfied with the answer, but he didn't press the matter further and instead got up to leave.

Ron knew his purpose in coming; he simply wanted Ron to support Shiva's army.

However, Ron was not interested in this matter, because the Shiva army was offering him fewer and fewer benefits.

Of course, we should still give them the respect they deserve, and providing some election funding is no problem.

But to ask him to personally endorse the event is a bit of wishful thinking.

Given Ron's current status, how could he possibly make a clear statement to the outside world for the sake of a mere Shiva army?

He doesn't have to do anything; the Congress Party and the BJP will rush over to fawn over him.

Thackeray underestimated the influence of "Mr. Sue".

As September approaches, things are getting more and more interesting.

(End of this chapter)