Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday admitted that the results of the assembly elections in Maharashtra were not on the expected lines and that a slew of reasons including the Ladki Bahin scheme and religious polarisation might have led to the Mahayuti’s win.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which the NCP(SP) is a part of, failed to make a comeback in the elections with the ruling bloc led by the Bharatiya Janata Party retaining power by bagging 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The opposition combine, which also comprises the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), managed to garner just 46 seats.
Satara District, Karad: Sharad Pawar, Member of Rajya Sabha, on the real NCP claim, said, "There is no doubt that Ajit Pawar has more seats, but who the real NCP is, this is something the people of Maharashtra know" pic.twitter.com/VJceKn9InT
— IANS (@ians_india) November 24, 2024
Speaking to reporters in Karad, the NCP founder said increased women participation in the voting might also have worked in favour of the Mahayuti alliance.
"The Ladki Bahin scheme and religious polarisation played a role. Women's participation in large numbers could be the reason for the Mahayuti sweep in Maharashtra. We will study the reasons for the debacle and take necessary steps," he said.
The assembly elections were a prestige battle for both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar as they have been vying for the NCP’s legacy following the party’s vertical split last year. Ajit Pawar’s NCP is now an ally of the BJP along with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
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Pawar acknowledged that the party led by Ajit secured more seats than his faction, but said "Everyone knows who founded the NCP". Pawar’s NCP bagged 10 seats while Ajit’s faction secured 41.
Pawar, however, refused to raise any allegations on EVMs though Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut expressed doubts over the massive verdict in Mahayuti's favour. “I will speak about EVMs only if I have official data,” he said.
Among the Mahayuti bloc, BJP bagged 132 seats, Shiv Sena led by Shinde 57, and NCP 41.
