Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections: BJP Stumbles, MVA Soars

The BJP faced a significant loss in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections, winning only 17 seats compared to its previous count of 23 in 2019. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), composed of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar), collectively won 30 out of 48 seats, showcasing their growing influence.

The BJP suffered a setback in Maharashtra's Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday, with its tally dwindling to less than half compared to 2019. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar) was on a roll, pocketing 30 out of the 48 seats.

The BJP-led NDA fell significantly short of its target of bagging 45-plus seats in Maharashtra, garnering just 17 seats. The BJP won nine seats, a far cry from the 23 it won in 2019, while its ally Shiv Sena won seven. Ajit Pawar-led NCP bagged a seat, but his wife Sunetra Pawar faced defeat in Baramati from Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar.

Congress saw a quantum jump, winning 13 seats from just one in 2019, while Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) won nine seats each. Vishal Patil, a Congressman-turned-independent, won the Sangli seat and indicated he may rejoin Congress, taking the MVA tally to 32 in the state. In the previous election, BJP won 23 seats, Shiv Sena (undivided) 18, NCP four, and Congress just one.

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray stated that the INDIA bloc would meet to decide the prime ministerial face for the alliance. He claimed that the common man had displayed his power in the mandate and emphasized the opposition's need to stake a claim to form the government at the Centre.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attributed the NDA's poor performance to the Opposition's propaganda, which suggested the BJP would change the Constitution post-polls. ''People's mandate must be accepted as it is. We will conduct deep introspection and recover our loss in the next assembly election,'' he posted on X.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)