NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Sunday that 'batenge toh katenge' coined by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath worked for the Mahayuti. In the words of Pawar Sr, 'batenge toh katenge' polarised the electoral atmosphere in Maharashtra.
"I heard from people that such money power use was never seen before. The way the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister made comments, it was clear that they wanted to polarise. There was polarisation in the election and he was brought here (in Maharashtra) for that," the NCP (SP) chief said.
Sharad Pawar suffered the worst-ever defeat in his political career in the recent Maharashtra polls, which he had claimed would be his last election.
Meanwhile, NCP(SP) working president Supriya Sule said in a statement posted on X that the party will introspect over the assembly poll results and promised to rebuild the party.
"We respect and humbly accept the verdict of the people in the assembly elections. This result is a moment for deep reflection and renewal. We will introspect, learn, and rebuild with honesty, hard work, and unshakable commitment to the values we stand for," she said.
She, however, stressed that her party was committed to creating a capable, inclusive and progressive Maharashtra. Sule also congratulated the ruling Mahayuti for winning the elections with a thumping majority.
“We hope you will serve Maharashtra with dedication and prioritise the welfare of every citizen,” she said.
The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies -- Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) -- collectively got only 46 seats out of the 288 assembly seats in the state.
Among its MVA allies, the NCP (SP) got the lowest number of seats at 10. Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress party got 20 and 16 seats, respectively.
Not just 'batenge toh katenge', Prime Minister Narendra Modi's backing of the slogan alongwith coining 'Ek Hain to Safe Hain' did wonders for the BJP in Maharashtra.
The saffron party, along with its allies, staged a stunning comeback in the state after the Lok Sabha debacle. The Mahayuti won a landslide majority of 230 seats in the recently conducted Maharashtra assembly elections.
The BJP emerged as the largest party in Maharashtra, with 132 seats in its kitty. The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 57 seats whereas the Ajit Pawar-led NCP bagged 41 seats.