Note ban likely to generate heat in Maharashtra winter session

Buoyed by the party's success in local body polls, the BJP-led government will enter the Winter session of Maharashtra Assembly with confidence but the opposition will seek to put it on mat over key issues like the problems being faced by common people, cooperative banks and farmers due to note ban, and the Maratha quota stir.
A relatively weak and divided opposition will have to carefully plan its floor strategy to corner the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition in the backdrop of BJP's good poll show, in the session beginning here from tomorrow.
The Congress-led opposition is likely to stridently raise the issue of demonetisation, deaths in bank and ATM queues, distress the exercise has caused to citizens, especially farmers, and cash crunch faced by cooperative banks (banned by RBI from exchanging old notes).

The widespread agitation on the issue of reservation for Marathas is likely to figure prominently in the House.
The role of Shiv Sena will be watched keenly as the BJP's ruling ally has severely criticised the implementation of the cash recall exercise announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 and hardships faced by the common man due to it.
The opposition is likely to grill the government over the alleged sexual assault on minor tribal girls in a state-aided residential school in Buldhana district.

It will highlight the problems being faced by farmers, particularly cotton and sugarcane growers who are unable to sell their produce in the market because of non-availability of new currency notes.

However, the mud-slinging and fights between key opposition parties--Congress and NCP--especially after their drubbing in the local body polls is likely to provide some breather to the government.
BJP emerged as a major gainer in the first phase of Municipal Council polls, winning 851 seats across 164 urban local bodies, making inroads into the traditional strongholds of Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
The second phase of elections to local-self government bodies will be held later this month and in January. As the Model Code of Conduct is in force for these polls, the government is unlikely to make any major announcement related to public welfare.

The poll results have made Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has completed two years in office, as BJP's undisputed leader in the state. He termed the party's victory in the municipal body polls as not just a wave but a "tsunami".
Congress is facing a crisis within. A section of its leaders blamed MPCC chief Ashok Chavan for the party's dismal show in the Council polls. Another Congressman and former Minister Balasaheb Thorat targeted Opposition Leader in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil for the loss.