In his first reaction to the outcome of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the defeat was ‘unexpected’ and will analyse the results in detail.
He also thanked the people of Jharkhand for their mandate. “Heartfelt thanks to the people of Jharkhand for giving a huge mandate to India. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, all the workers of Congress and JMM for this victory,” he wrote in a post on X (formally twitter).
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on November 23 retained power in Maharashtra, maintaining sway over 230 of the 288 assembly seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s dream of wresting power fizzled, with the opposition combine ahead in just 50 seats.
As per the latest figures from the Election Commission, the BJP has so far won 35 seats and is leading in 78, the Shiv Sena won 27 and is ahead in 29 seats, while the NCP has won 25 and is leading in 16 seats.
In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates won 6 seats and were leading in 4 seats, Congress won 5 and its candidates were leading in 11 seats, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won 11 and was leading in 9 seats.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates leading in just 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts – till this morning – by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti.
Going by the results, Maharashtra may not have a leader of opposition in the Lower House, as norms stipulate that a party should have at least 10 per cent of the total members of the assembly and not cobble up the number as an alliance.
Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance was all set to retain Jharkhand as it was leading in at least 56 seats in the 81-member state assembly. The performance of the BJP-led NDA, which was confident about its prospects in the state after an aggressive campaign, was poorer than its expectations. It was leading in just 23 seats.
(With inputs from PTI)