New Delhi:

Devendra Fadnavis, seen as the front-runner in the race for the top job in Maharashtra, came to Delhi this evening, sparking anticipation about a meet with the Central leadership to resolve the Chief Ministership issue. But he doused expectation saying no meeting on the matter has been planned and he is in the national capital to attend the wedding of the daughter of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. 
Mr Fadnavis is expected to return to Mumbai later tonight, ahead of Union minister Amit Shah’s expected visit to the country’s financial capital on Tuesday.

Two days after the Maharashtra assembly election results were declared, there has been no announcement about the big question of who would be the next Chief Minister of the state. 

While Mr Fadnavis has been seen as the front-runner for the post, ally Shiv Sena is keen that its chief Eknath Shinde continues in the top job. Off the records, leaders say that he deserves the job since it is his government’s welfare projects that helped the ruling alliance reach a sweeping victory.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske cited the “Bihar model” to assert that Mr Shinde should continue as the chief minister. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar has continued as the Chief Minister despite the BJP’s better performance in the last assembly election.

“We feel Mr Shinde should be the Chief Minister, just like in Bihar where BJP did not look at the numbers but still made JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar the CM. Senior leaders of the Mahayuti (in Maharashtra) will ultimately take a decision,” he was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.

At the Sena MLAs’ meeting, slogans were raised in demand of Mr Shinde as the Chief Minister.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, sources said, may support Mr Fadnavis for the top post, tilting the scales in favour of the BJP. 

Since the results were declared, leaders of all three parties in the ruling alliance have said they would sit down together and take a call on the issue. Mr Fadnavis had even lightened the mood at a post-election press conference, saying they will consult all allies including Ramdas Athawale, the chief of Republican Party of India-Athawale which contested one seat under the BJP flag and lost. 

Led by Mr Fadnavis, the BJP won the highest ever 132 seats for the party, while the Shiv Sena faction led by Mr Shinde bagged 57 seats. Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party won 41 seats, taking the ruling alliance Mahayuti score to a whopping 230 of the state’s 288 seats. 

Mumbai:

The sweep of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra has been widely attributed to the welfare programmes of the Eknath Shinde government. But a key factor has been the split in Muslim vote which has delivered a chunk of the state’s 38 seats to the ruling alliance. The Muslim population is more than 20 per cent in these 38 seats, making a key difference in the outcome of the election. Over all, the ruling alliance has won 22 of these 38 seats, way ahead of the 13 won by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The split in votes has hit the Congress hard – the party’s score has dropped from 11 to five. The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena Uddhav has got six seats and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction got two.

Of the 38 seats, the BJP has increased its tally from 11 in 2019 to 14. The Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde has won six seats and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party two seats.

Of the remaining three seats, Samajwadi Party got two and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM got just one.

The outcome indicates that the clerics failed to dominate the collective decision of the Muslim community – a situation that helped the BJP strengthen its allegations of “vote jihad” or consolidation of Muslim votes against the Mahayuti.

Denying Opposition allegations of polarisation, senior BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said all communities are included in the slogan “Ek hain toh safe hain”. “People did not fall prey to the politics of appeasement and polarisation of the MVA, and came together to vote for development. All communities are included in our ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ mantra,” he said.

“There was no place for appeasement, people here look at development and benefits,” said Salim Sarang, the president of the Muslim Welfare Association.

Among the big Muslim names who lost were NCP’s Nawab Malik and Zeeshan Siddiqui as well as Congress’s Arif Naseem Khan.

Data indicates that while the support of the Muslim community helped the MVA win a big victory in the Lok Sabha election held in May, what went against them in the Assembly polls were low enthusiasm, divided votes and communal polarization in some seats. In some seats, the presence of multiple Muslim candidates split votes.

For instance, in Aurangabad East, AIMIM state chief and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel lost to the BJP’s Atul Save by 2,161 votes. VBA’s Afsar Khan (6,507 votes) and SP’s Abdul Gaffar Syed (5,943 votes) split the Muslim vote in the seat, ensuring Jaleel’s defeat.

The only seat AIMIM won was in Muslim-dominated Malegaon Central, where its candidate Mufti Ismail, the sitting MLA, won by just 162 votes-the lowest margin in the state.

Meanwhile, in Bhiwandi West, Mahesh Chaugule of the BJP defeated Riyaz Azmi of the SP by 31,293 votes as Muslims also divided their votes between AIMIM’s Waris Pathan (15,800 votes) and Independent Vilas Patil (31,579 votes).
 

New Delhi:

Robin Sharma, the campaign strategist of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, told NDTV today that the Lok Sabha election results had spurred them to spruce up their act and get governance and the message about it shipshape before the assembly election was announced. 

“The fear of loss motivated us to work hard, make course correction and do whatever was needed to bring the alliance back on track,” he told NDTV in an exclusive interview. It left no room for complacency also ensured that the ruling alliance had dealt with the tough questions when the MVA was bickering over seat share and the all-important question of who would be the Chief Minister.

Consequently, “We were ahead in comparison to the MVA in terms of planning, preparedness, candidates, campaign strategy,” he said. 

He attributed the victory to the role played by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying it was “all about his hard work. He rolled out campaigns that really benefited people. He also campaigned in seats where the BJP and Shiv Sena were contesting, ensuring that their alliance is properly recognised by people”.

Asked if the Ladki Behen proved to be the X factor for the landslide win of the ruling alliance, he said, “Definitely… it gave a fillip to the campaign”.

“This is because Ladki Behen was not just an announcement, they received Rs 7,500 in their account during some big festival,” he said.  

“We have seen the data of how these women have started spending this money on themselves, taking care of themselves. Especially women who are suffering from anaemia. Involvement in schools have gone up and they have started saving money for themselves… So there is a lot of trust that we will deliver,” he said. 

“This is the first time women were receiving such money in Maharashtra. So it definitely helped us,” he added.

Mahayuthi — the ruling alliance of Mr Shinde’s Sena, Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and the BJP — are ahead on 236 of Maharashtra’s 288 seats.

The Opposition MVA – the Shiv Sena faction of Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar’s faction of Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress — are ahead on just 48 seats. 
 

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the people of Maharashtra today for what he called their “historic verdict”, saying the mandate was a firm rejection of the negative politics of the Opposition. This not only included what BJP chief JP Nadda described as the “sabotage” of the second mandate — when Uddhav Thackeray broke the alliance and partnered the Congress and Sharad Pawar to form government — but also the talk of a second constitution and the return of Article 370, the politics of division in the name of caste and creed, he said. 

The election in Maharashtra proved the maxim of “Ek hai toh safe hai (there is safety in unity)” which has become a mantra to the whole country, he added to massive cheers in an address to party workers at the BJP headquarters.   

“Maharashtra has witnessed the triumph of development, good governance, and genuine social justice. The forces of deception, divisive politics, and family dynasties have been defeated. Maharashtra has strengthened its resolve for a developed India,” PM Modi said. In the process, it has as become the sixth state to choose the BJP for a third consecutive term, after Goa, Gujarat. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. 

“Every segment of the country have voted for the BJP… The Congress is unable to gauge this changed mood of the people. They don’t want to understand the reality. The voter does not want instability. The voter is with the nation first feeling,” PM Modi said, beginning a harsh takedown of the Congress. 

“Congress and its ecosystem thought that by lying in the name of the Constitution and lying in the name of reservation, they would divide SC/ST/OBC into small groups. Maharashtra has completely rejected this conspiracy of Congress and its allies. Maharashtra has said it loudly: If there is one, then it is safe,” PM Modi said.

The Congress, he added, is incapable of forming governments on its own. It is a  “parasitic” party that forms alliances and then lets down allies as well. “Thankfully its partners in Uttar Pradesh have been able to get rid of it (Congress). Else they too would have drowned,” PM Modi said. 

The Congress, he said, has made laws for appeasement, he said, pointing to the Waqf Board as an example. “In the Constitution, there is no provision for Waqf law. This was done to raise the Congress’ vote bank… There was a time when Congress used to speak against jaat -paat (caste divisions) , but today this very family is spreading the poison of caste (Jaativaad),” he added.

New Delhi:

Uddhav Thackeray, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who just lost the biggest prestige battle of his life, appeared shell-shocked after the stunning reverse. Speaking to reporters this evening after the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi posted a result widely different from the outcome in the Lok Sabha election, he questioned how four months could bring about such a drastic difference. 

“Cannot believe Maharashtra, which listened to me as head of family during COVID, will behave with me this way… How could they (the ruling alliance) win so many seats in just a matter of four months? Where did they light candles for such a result?” said the 64-year-old. 

Claiming that the MVA rallies were better attended than that of the ruling alliance, he said, “People listened to us, not to Modi and Amit Shah. The people said they don’t need to listen to them. Did they decide to vote without listening to them?” he said, then added in a sarcastic vein, “How can an empty chair turn into votes”.

Mr Thackeray, though, brushed aside the key talking point — one that had been repeatedly underscored by the winning combine — has it now been proved “Who is the real Shiv Sena”?  “For the last many years, we have not received a decision on the party name and election symbol,” he said, firmly shunting the ball towards the courts, where the matter is pending.

The rebel faction of Mr Shinde, which pitched the electoral battle as a test of “Who is the real Shiv Sena” lost no time in announcing it as an ideological victory. 

The BJP and its allies’ victory came on the heels of the party’s spectacular performance in Haryana amid what many mis-read as massive anti-incumbency against the Nayab Singh Saini government and expected a Congress victory. 

Mr Thackeray, though, put a different  spin on the matter. 

“A few years ago, (BJP chief) JP Nadda had said there will only be one party. It seems that they are moving in the same direction — one party one nation,” he said. “I would tell people not to lose hope,” he added. 

The Sena UBT chief, though did not blame the Electronic Voting Machines. “Some people are saying that EVM is behind this victory. I say if people have accepted it then I have no problem,’ he added.

Mr Thackeray’s Sena (UBT) has won 20 of the 89 seats it contested, way below Eknath Shinde faction’s 57 of 80.  Mahayuthi — the ruling alliance of Mr Shinde’s Sena, Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and the BJP — are ahead on 236 of Maharashtra’s 288 seats.

The massive reverses for the Maha Vikas Aghadi come barely six months after the alliance’s sparkling performance in the Lok Sabha election, which many said, had made clear the voters’ disapproval of the political tumult of the last two years — split in Shiv Sena followed by the collapse of theUddhav Thackeray government, and the subsequent split in the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hailed the landslide win of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti coalition in the Maharashtra Assembly election. “Development wins! Good governance wins! United we will soar even higher!” the Prime Minister said in a series of messages on X.

“Heartfelt gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Maharashtra… especially the youth and women of the state… for a historic mandate to the NDA. This affection and warmth is unparalleled,” he said.

“I assure the people our alliance will keep working for Maharashtra’s progress. Jai Maharashtra!”

The Prime Minister also thanked party workers for their support and effort. “They worked hard, went among the people, and elaborated on our good governance agenda.”

Development wins!

Good governance wins!

United we will soar even higher!

Heartfelt gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Maharashtra, especially the youth and women of the state, for a historic mandate to the NDA. This affection and warmth is unparalleled.

I assure the…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 23, 2024

The Mahayuti is on course for a thumping victory in Maharashtra; it is leading in 233 of the state’s 288 Assembly seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is leading in only 50 seats.

Mr Modi also posted briefly on the Jharkhand election result, which the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is set to lose to the Congress-led INDIA bloc. The state’s ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, a Congress ally at the state and central level, is leading in 57 of 81 seats and the NDA in 23.

I thank the people of Jharkhand for their support towards us. We will always be at the forefront of raising people’s issues and working for the state.

I also congratulate the JMM-led alliance for their performance in the state. @HemantSorenJMM

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 23, 2024

“I thank the people of Jharkhand for their support towards us. We will always be at the forefront of raising people’s issues and working for the state,” the Prime Minister said, also offering his congratulations to the JMM and the ruling alliance for their victory.

BJP’s Maharashtra Victory

The BJP is set for its best-ever individual showing in a Maharashtra Assembly election, a result that underscores its return to dominance in the western state.

And with the seats won by the Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar factions of the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, the Mahayuti will become the first cross the 200-seat mark in the state.

But now, the result decided, the focus will be on who becomes the next Chief Minister – will Mr Shinde continue or will Devendra Fadnavis, who first held the post from 2014 to 2019, return?

Or will there be a twist in the tale?

READ | Who Will Be Next Chief Minister? What D Fadnavis Said

Both Mr Shinde and Mr Fadnavis have, in public at least, insisted the decision will be made, amicably, by all members of the BJP-led alliance. Whether that will, in fact, be the case, will be revealed soon.

Jharkhand Situation

In the tribal-dominated, mineral-rich state, the JMM-Congress government led by Hemant Soren has recorded a big win. The BJP took an early lead after the counting of votes began at 8 am, but Mr Soren’s JMM, which expressed confidence it would win, fought back slowly and steadily. 

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