Under a divided sun

If only propitiating the electoral deities were as simple as making offerings to the ever munificent sun god. This week the Shiv Sena organised a lavish celebration for Chhath Puja, roping in Amitabh Bachchan, to amplify its overture to Mumbai8217;s north Indian inhabitants. For a political party that is often seen to be thriving on calculated extremism, this strategic amiability is certainly intriguing. Chhath Puja is a key day in the north Indian calendar, and its observance by proponents of the 8220;Mee Mumbaikar8221; campaign indicates a change in tactics, if not of heart.

It is, first of all, an acknowledgement at last by the Shiv Sena that Mumbai8217;s demography stands considerably altered, as does the resonance of its 8220;anti-outsider8221; rhetoric. From shock defeats in many Mumbai constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections to the confirmation of the Sena8217;s diminishing appeal in the city in the Maharashtra assembly elections last month, Mumbai8217;s fabled melting pot has kept churning. The truth is Maharashtrians account for less and less of the city8217;s population. Traditionally, the Sena has sought to keep its core support base 8212; the Maharashtrian middle classes 8212; intact by taking up campaigns against the 8220;outsider8221; vying for precious jobs and real estate. It tried to do exactly that a year ago, attacking Bihari students in the metropolis. This manufactured xenophobia completely ignored the role waves of migrants have played 8212; and continue to play 8212; in preserving the city8217;s creative and financial dynamism. It also indicated a miscalculation of the electoral equations in play. It is reckoned that in two-thirds of the Mumbai region8217;s assembly segments the north Indian vote can be decisive. And so it proved to be in the October assembly elections.

Is this then a durable Sena makeover, a shift to a gentler, more inclusive politics? It will take more than grand celebrations at festival time to allow that assertion. It will, for starters, demand of the Sena more unequivocal articulation of a Mumbaikar identity, an identity less predicated on ethnic considerations.