Page 8 - Maharashtra Assembly Elections

Clueless in defeat, Uddhav may struggle to keep decimated flock together

Uddhav Thackeray, who played the bold gambit of taking on the ally BJP in 2019 and forged an unlikely alliance with the Congress and NCP, was on Saturday left struggling to make sense of his party's rout in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena (UBT) won only 20 out of the 95 seats it contested, admitted that he could not understand how the electorate which had inflicted a drubbing on the ruling BJP-led alliance in the Lok Sabha elections only five months ago changed its mind. From the shy son of a charismatic and firebrand Hindutva politician, the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Uddhav has come a long way. Early on, he survived challenges from party stalwart Narayan Rane and cousin Raj Thackeray, and went on to become the Maharashtra chief minister in November 2019 when he ended the decades-long alliance with the BJP after the assembly elections. Soon, the COVID-19 pandemic followed, and Uddhav easily connected with the people during that difficult ..

NDA tastes bypoll success in Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya; WB remains elusive

The juggernaut of the BJP-led NDA, which triumphed in three of the four east and north-eastern states that went for assembly bypolls on Saturday, was halted yet again in West Bengal where Mamata Banerjee's TMC registered a six-on-six clean sweep. In its process of continuing to deny the BJP its coveted foothold in the state's political theatre, the TMC retained five of the six seats it had previously won during the 2021 polls, while wresting the key Madarihat seat from the saffron camp in north Bengal's Alipurduar district, and opening its account in the segment for the first time. The scene was much brighter for the ruling NDA in neighbouring Bihar where it swept the bypolls to four assembly segments, retaining Imamganj and wresting from the INDIA bloc Tarari, Ramgarh and Belaganj, in a shot in the arm ahead of the assembly polls due next year. In Assam, the BJP and its allies retained four assembly seats and were leading in one, where the bypolls were held on November 13. The sol

Need to introspect: INDIA bloc leaders on Maharashtra poll results

As the results of Assembly elections and bypolls brought a mixed bag for the INDIA bloc on Saturday, with the defeat in Maharashtra coming as a major setback, leaders of its constituents once again highlighted that smaller parties did not get enough seats to contest, even as they called the Jharkhand victory a "moral defeat" for the attempts at communal polarisation. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which has the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as its constituents, swept the Maharashtra polls, months after the Lok Sabha election, in which the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won a large chunk of seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member Ashok Dhawale flagged the delay in finalising seat-sharing arrangements, the race among key opposition parties to get the maximum number of seats to contest and not giving enough space to smaller parties among the reasons for the INDIA bloc's below-par performance in Maharashtra, even as he accused .

Can't believe Maharashtra would behave this way with me: Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the Maharashtra poll results, in which the BJP-led Mahayuti put up a stunning performance, completely unexpected and incomprehensible. Addressing a news conference, Thackeray said he could not believe Maharashtra, which listened to him as kutumb pramukh (head of family) during the coronavirus pandemic, would behave this way with him. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates winning or leading in about 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti. Thackeray said the results reflect that there was a tsunami rather than a wave. We will keep fighting for the rights of Maharashtra, Thackeray said. The Mahayuti of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP could win over 230 of the 288 seats in the state. Of the 95 seats it contested, the Sena (UBT) was winnin

BJP leaders laud Maharashtra win as people's faith in PM Modi's leadership

BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, on Saturday hailed the party's grand win in Maharashtra as people's faith in the "double-engine" government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Thanking people for the "historic victory" of the Mahayuti alliance, Shah said that by giving such a "huge mandate amidst illusion and lies," people have shut shops of "fake well-wishers" of the Constitution -- a swipe at the opposition-led alliance, which had flagged the alleged threat to the Constitution from the saffron party and used claim as its main call to voters. BJP president J P Nadda said the landslide victory of the alliance was a reflection of the people's unwavering faith in the welfare policies and good governance of the double-engine government under Modi's able leadership. Rajnath Singh said the mandate underscored the people's trust in the BJP's commitment to good governance and development, and the credibility of the prime minister's ...

Maha poll outcome inexplicable, level-playing field disturbed: Congress

The Congress on Saturday described the Maharashtra poll outcome as "inexplicable" and claimed that the level-playing field was disturbed in a targeted manner as part of a conspiracy to defeat it. The opposition party, however, hailed the result in Jharkhand, saying the people of the state had categorically rejected the "politics of polarisation" peddled by the BJP. "The Maharashtra assembly poll result is surprising, inexplicable for us," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, stressing that it was not a victory of development, as projected by the BJP. On Jharkhand, he said, "The people of Jharkhand have decisively rejected the politics of polarisation." Congress leader Pawan Khera said, as the principal opposition party, "we find it our responsibility to keep raising issues of transparency in elections". "The people of Jharkhand made victorious the government that worked for them," he said. "The Maharashtra outcome has been brought out through a targeted conspiracy after the ...

RSS outreach adds to BJP's convincing win in Maharashtra elections

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) still holds the key to the BJP's electoral success as the outcome of the Maharashtra Assembly polls showed. According to latest figures of counting of votes, the BJP-led Mahayuti could win over 230 of the 288 assembly seats in the state, leaving the opposition Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP(SP) combine with just 50 seats. Ahead of the elections in Maharashtra, the RSS had launched an extensive outreach programme to shape public opinion in favour of the BJP-led alliance in the state. The BJP's ideological fountainhead had started the move in coordination with all of its affiliates. According to sources, small 'tolis' (teams) of 'swayamsevaks', formed under the plan, reached out to people in every nook and cranny of the state. Each of these teams held small group meetings with five to ten people and also reached out to families through their local network in 'mohallas' in their respective localities carrying the message. "They did their work," a

Maharashtra election results: ‘Public has shown which is Balasaheb's Shiv Sena,’ says Eknath Shinde

Watch what Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said on election results.

‘Ek hai toh safe hai,' Devendra Fadnavis’s reaction after Mahayuti's Maharashtra election win

Maharashtra's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis commended the performance of the ruling Mahayuti attributing the success to PM Narendra Modi and specifically to Modi's campaign catchphrase "ek hai toh safe"

'Gadbad hai': Sanjay Raut rejects Mahayuti win in early trends

In the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is leading in 221 of the 288 Assembly seats, according to the latest Election Commission data.

Maharashtra election results: ‘This is a landslide victory,’ says CM Eknath Shinde

As the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance inches closer to securing a dominant victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed his gratitude to the voters

Maharashtra election results: BJP-led Mahayuti crosses majority mark in early trends

The Mahayuti alliance - consisting of the BJP and the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar - was ahead in 218 of the state's 288 seats by 11 am

Big names that fell short: Shockers from Jharkhand & Maha poll results

The Maharashtra Assembly elections witnessed some surprising results, with seasoned politicians and prominent leaders failing to secure their seats

Maha people have shut shops of fake well-wishers of Constitution: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday expressed gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for the "historic victory" of the Mahayuti alliance in the state polls and said that by giving such a huge mandate to the NDA, people have shut shops of "fake well-wishers of the Constitution". Shah also thanked the people of Jharkhand for blessing the BJP with the highest percentage of votes. "Jai Maharashtra! Heartfelt gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for this historic mandate," the Union minister said in a post on X in Hindi and Marathi. Maharashtra, the holy land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and Veer Savarkar, has always kept culture and nation supreme along with development, the senior BJP leader said. "By giving such a huge mandate to the Mahayuti alliance amidst illusion and lies, the people have closed the shops of those who are fake well-wishers of the Constitution. This victory is the victory of every Maharashtra resident," he said. The ..

Assembly elections: Exit polls predict right result with wrong numbers

Matrize predicted that the Mahayuti would secure 150-170 seats, but is set to remain in power with a minimum tally of 230 seats

Ajit Pawar bounces back from Lok Sabha loss in Baramati, wins by 100k votes

Maharashtra election 2024 Baramati result: The rivalry between the two Pawars over control of the NCP was also witnessed in the June Lok Sabha elections in the Baramati Assembly constituency

Mahayuti set to sweep Maharashtra: What worked for the BJP-led alliance?

Maharashtra Assembly election results: Women-centric schemes to Maratha reservation, what helped the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secure victory in the state

Maha victory a win for development: PM Modi; congratulates JMM in J'khand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's massive victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls as a win for development and good governance, assuring people of the ruling bloc's continued work for the state's progress. In posts on X, he also congratulated the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance for its win in Jharkhand, while stressing that his party will always be at the forefront to champion people's issues. He tagged Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who led the INDIA bloc coalition in the state, in his post. "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," Modi said. "Jai Maharashtra," he added. Modi said the NDA's pro-people efforts have resonated all over. "I thank people across various states for blessing NDA candidates in th

From Ladli Behna to Maiya Yojana: How women voters are shaping elections

Women voters, empowered by schemes like Ladli Behna and Maiya Yojana, are reshaping India's elections, turning welfare initiatives into game-changers in politics

BJP win in Maharashtra to bolster Adani's $3 bn Dharavi slum project

The landslide victory for ruling BJP-led Mahayuti in Maharashtra will booster billionaire Gautam Adani-led group's USD 3-billion project to redevelop Mumbai slum of Dharavi into a "world-class" district. Opposition Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) had pledged to reclaim all land given to the Adani group for redeveloping Asia's largest slum and promised to scrap the project altogether, if voted to power. For Adani, who is facing bribery charges in a US court, the scrapping of his pet Dharavi project would have been a big setback. With election results showing the BJP and its allies Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, winning more than three-fourths of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly, those anxieties have now been set to rest. Adani plans to turn 620 acres of prime land, about three quarters of the size of New York's Central Park, into a glitzy urban hub. About seven lakh living in rickety shanties with open sewers and