The Coup in Maharashtra

What has happened in Maharashtra is nothing short of a coup. Just a few months back, the MVA government was going strong and looked set to complete five years in power. Of course, there were differences on some issues among the three parties in the coalition, the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress but nothing insurmountable.
The first sign of something brewing wrong came with the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, when the opposition BJP was able to get one extra seat than warranted by its strength in the Maharashtra Assembly. Some of the MVA legislators appear to have voted in favour of the BJP candidates. The story was repeated in the Legislative Council elections, when the BJP was again able to win an extra seat.
This should have alerted Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Uddhav Thackeray but apparently he did not take prompt action to nip in the bud the looming rebellion in his party. And the result is clear now. Nearly 40 of his 56 Party MLAs deserted him leading to the fall of his government. It appears that the BJP had been working behind the scenes for a while to sow seeds of dissent in the Shiv Sena on the issue of following a hardline Hindutva agenda. 
As of now, Uddhav Thackeray still controls the Shiv Sena party apparatus. But his ability to continue doing so in the next few months will determine if the Shiv Sena will continue as a strong independent entity or not. Otherwise, the BJP will become the sole right wing political party in Maharashtra following the Hindutva agenda.