Reverse swing in Maharashtra

Old habits die hard. At least two Cabinet ministers in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in Maharashtra are patently struggling to adjust to being in government after 15 years in opposition. One of the ministers was known for moving a number of opposition motions in the state legislature and bombarding the previous Congress-NCP government with reminders when he was in opposition. He continued his practice even after being sworn in as minister on October 31 by sending Fadnavis 50 letters in one go. Ultimately, the chief minister had to remind the minister that he was no longer an opposition leader but a minister who had to perform rather than indulge in writing reminders. Another minister lobbied for a hefty price rise to cotton growers. Again, Fadnavis and another senior minister had to ask him to keep his cool instead of playing benefactor, given the current state of Maharashtra's finances.