Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the results of the assembly elections were historic, and they decided to whom the Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena belong.
In a joint press conference on November 23, the leaders of the Mahayuti assured that the next government will be formed smoothly as the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition was poised to win a massive victory.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the people rejected politics of appeasement and responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Ek Hai toh Safe Hai’ message of unity.
He also said there was no dispute over the chief minister’s post and leaders of Mahayuti will decide on the issue together as the saffron party-led coalition is heading for a landslide victory.
NCP chief and deputy CM Ajit Pawar averred that the ruling alliance will not get carried away by the landslide win, and will bring financial discipline.
Referring to the poor showing of the rival factions, both Shinde and Ajit Pawar said the results showed to whom the Shiv Sena and NCP belong.
“After all the results are declared, our MLAs will come to Mumbai, and all three parties will elect their leaders,” Fadnavis said.
Shinde pointed out that the three parties had finalised their seat-sharing amicably, and said the government formation process would not face any hinderance.
Shinde had led a rebellion against the then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 to split the Bal Thackeray-founded party and sided with the BJP to become the CM. While the division triggered a bitter feud between the two Sena factions, he eventually got the party’s name and its ‘bow-and-arrow’ symbol.
Across the state, Shinde’s Shiv Sena did spectacularly well. As per the latest figures shared by the Election Commission, Shiv Sena has won 28 and was leading in 29 of the state’s 288 seats. It fielded 81 candidates in the November 20 elections.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who led a split in the NCP in July 2023, has emerged as the true inheritor of his uncle’s political legacy, with trends and results of the Maharashtra polls indicating landslide victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti, of which NCP is part.
As per the latest trends, Ajit Pawar-led NCP is heading for an impressive performance in Maharashtra with the party leading in 36 seats and winning four. In contrast, Sharad Pawar-led NCP leads on 11 seats and won 1.
(With inputs from PTI)