The mandate JMM-Congress alliance received in the Jharkhand Assembly election underlines a new pattern that will help reduce the BJP's saffron footprint across the country, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday.
Pawar also congratulated Chief Minister-designate and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren, who promptly thanked the NCP patriarch and said the former Union minister's battle in Maharashtra has been inspiring for his party.
The Jharkhand Assembly poll result, announced on Monday, saw the opposition JMM-Congress-RJD alliance storming to power in the tribal-dominated state, ending the five-year rule of the BJP.
Jharkhand, which came into existence in 2000, is the fifth state where the BJP has lost power over the past one year.
The saffron outfit lost control over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the Congress in December last year.
In another setback to the Amit Shah-led party, its ally in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena, walked away and joined hands with the Pawar-led NCP and the Congress to form government in the state late last month.
"Congratulations to @HemantSorenJMM for the stunning electoral victory of the alliance in the Jharkhand polls.
"The Jharkhand mandate underlines a new pattern which will help the process of reducing the BJP's saffron footprint across the country," Pawar tweeted.
Soren responded on the micro-blogging site saying, "Thank you so much @PawarSpeaks ji. Your battle in Maharashtra has been inspiring for all of us."
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