Droupadi Murmu's candidature for the presidential polls has created a deep fissure in the opposition camp like no other BJP strategy in recent times. Soon after accusing the saffron party of betrayal, Uddhav Thackeray found himself backing Murmu among with his MPs. Trapped between more Siv Sainiks exiting his party and further antagonizing his Aghadi coalition partners, Uddhav's support signifies his inability to hold his flock together. The 2014 Maharashtra assembly elections when BJP stopped playing second fiddle belatedly awakened Shiv Sena to the former's game plan of being the sole flag bearer of Hindutva in Maharashtra as in the rest of India. Eknath Shinde's revolt signalled that most Sainiks have become resigned to BJP's dominance. Jharkhand CM Soren is similarly stuck, opposing Murmu's candidature would rile his adivasi vote base but supporting her strains its alliance with the Congress. Like Shiv Sena's Hindutva, BJP wants to subsume JMM'S adivasi identity politics into its Hindu unity project. BJP has landed several other parties like JD (U), AIADMK, JD(S) in the same dilemma; to ally, oppose or stay neutral. Truly a masterstroke of epic proportions by the Kamal outfit.
