Mumbai:

NCP founder Sharad Pawar has “thanked” Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Maharashtra’s opposition alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi – consisting of his party, ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, and the Congress – won 30 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats in this election.

Mr Pawar – who lost the NCP symbol and name to the group led by nephew Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister after allying with the BJP and the Sena breakaways, led by eventual the Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde – said, “We thank PM Narendra Modi for making the political atmosphere conducive for the MVA.”

The jibe comes amid inquests, public and private, into the BJP’s dismal showing in Maharashtra, in which it won 23 seats in 2019 and only nine this time. In fact, data suggests Mr Modi and BJP did not win 15 of 18 seats in which it campaigned widely. The three were Mumbai North (Union Minister Piyush Goyal) and North West (Ravindra Waikar from the Shinde Sena), and Satara (BJP’s Udayanraje Bhonsale).

The rest, including Beed, Latur, Nashik, Mumbai North East, and Pune, went to the MVA parties.

Mr Pawar’s NCP finished with eight seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed just one.

Thackeray Defies Buzz Over MP Switches

Meanwhile, Mr Thackeray – buoyed by a strong election, in which his Sena faction won nine seats and the breakaway group seven – left the door open to lawmakers who jumped ship two years ago, triggering his resignation and fall of his coalition government. He also said lawmakers who stayed loyal after the Sena split in 2022 will stay, amid rumours at least two newly elected MPs could jump ship to his rival’s camp.

READ | 2 Team Uddhav MPs Are In Touch With Eknath Shinde: Shiv Sena Leader

“All those who supported me will stay (and) we will think about those who want to join us. I will not take anyone’s name… but, after the election, Ram has become BJP-free…” he said.

He also rubbished talk about a reverse switch – he could merge his Sena group with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s ‘original’ and return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

READ | On Rumours Of Going Back To NDA, Team Uddhav Says…

The latter set of events would improve the BJP’s position, after it won only 240 seats on its own, 32 short of majority. Even with the support of NDA partners, specifically the JDU and TDP, the BJP is only 21 over the majority mark of 272. For the INDIA bloc, picking up a handful of Shinde Sena MPs won’t allow them to challenge the BJP government, but it would put Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party under stress.

READ | “Modiji’s Era…”: MLA Predicts Thackeray’s Post-Poll BJP U-Turn

Mr Thackeray also took a jibe at the BJP over the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, which the latter thought would win it a majority, if not all, of the state’s 80 seats and drive it to its ‘400 paar‘ target.

“After the election, Ram has become BJP-free,” he said.

“Thank You, Maharashtra”, Says Maha Vikas Aghadi

Mr Thackeray, Mr Pawar, and the Congress’ Prithivraj Chavan were addressing a presser to thank voters for the poll results. “This press conference is to express gratitude to the people of Maharashtra. The people voted for the MVA and rejected attempts of religious polarisation,” Mr Chavan said. 

“Recently, a meeting of the three parties was held to prepare for the Assembly election. The way we fought the Lok Sabha election, we will fight the Vidhan Sabha poll,” he continued, “Our victory will be certain and there will be a change of power in the state.”

Mr Thackeray, meanwhile, underlined the fact the current government is no longer run solely by the BJP – which had brute majorities in 2014 and 2019 – but is a coalition.

“It was ‘Modi government’ but now it is ‘NDA government’. How long will it last?” he asked.

READ | In Maharashtra, OGs Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar Stand Tall

He also said the Lok Sabha result in the state had exposed the “myth” of the BJP’s electoral invincibility. “There was an atmosphere in the whole country… everyone thought no one could fight against the BJP. But people of Maharashtra showed this is hollow,” he said.

He also hailed the opposition’s strong showing despite an “economically uneven” battle. “It was a fight to save the Constitution and to save democracy,” the ex-Chief Minister said, “The fight has just begun…”

In the 2024 election the MVA – expected to lose a tight race for Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, the most of any state after Uttar Pradesh’s 80 – surprised many with a thumping win. 

Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s parties won 17 seats between themselves. The Congress secured 13, after winning only two in the 2014 election and just one in 2019. By contrast the BJP, which won 23 last time, got nine, and its Sena and NCP allies got eight.

The BJP’s setback, coupled with losses in Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, meant the party fell well short of its ambitious target of 370. The BJP got only 240 – 32 below the majority mark – and needed Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP to form the union government.

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New Delhi:

The appointment of Ajit Pawar as the Nationalist Congress Party’s National President is “illegal”, the Sharad Pawar-led faction fumed Friday in its reply to the Election Commission of India. The Pawar side of the NCP was responding to a plea by Ajit Pawar’s half staking claim to the NCP’s symbol. The plea was filed “to pre-emptively avoid inevitable disqualification (of the rebel leaders)”, the response said.

The Pawar camp has told the top poll body the Constitution of the party does not allow legislators to appoint a party boss, and that Ajit Pawar had “unilaterally sought to appoint himself as the boss on basis of signatures of some legislators”; the contentious resolution had Ajit Pawar as ‘Signatory No 1’.

The Sharad Pawar faction has also stressed that “there is no split in the NCP” – which was divided earlier this year after the nephew rebelled against the uncle and joined hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is itself propped up by a rebel faction of the Shiv Sena.

READ | Sharad Pawar Makes Massive Claim, Says “No Split” In NCP. Explains Why

The Pawar faction further argued that Ajit Pawar held a National Convention – without issuing notice or appointing a Chief Returning Officer – where his “appointment” was ratified.

Ajit Pawar, 63, was restored as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister – a post he held in the former government too – after he walked out of the NCP, taking over 40 lawmakers with him.

Pawar senior’s response also said disqualification petitions had been moved against “nine delinquent MLAs (on July 2) and 20 MLAs (on September 5) on grounds of anti-party activities”.

READ | As NCP Factions Fight, Sharad Pawar Says “No Split, Just Democracy”

“It is submitted… affidavits of MLAs against whom disqualification petitions are pending cannot be taken into account for purpose of deciding the majority. Therefore, affidavits of 29 MLAs… cannot be taken into account for purpose of ascertaining majority of petitioner,” the Sharad Pawar camp said.

“Of the remaining 24 MLAs, it is submitted the respondent continues to enjoy support of 12…”

NCP boss Sharad Pawar’s faction underlined its stance on this issue in August too; in which Mr Pawar, 82, said “a few” had left to “take a different political stance (but) this does not constitute a split”.

“It’s not like a majority of the people from the party are going out. Some people have taken a different stand, democracy allows them to do so. It’s not a split in the party,” he had said.

Also in August, the Sharad Pawar camp told the Election Commission that Ajit Pawar’s demand for the NCP symbol is “premature”, “malafide” and should be rejected.

READ | Ajit Pawar’s NCP Symbol Claim “Malafide”: Sharad Pawar Camp To Poll Body

“Ajit Pawar has not been able to demonstrate, even prima facie, there exists a dispute (within the) NCP… Election Commission has also not made any prima facie determination there is any dispute between NCP, led by National President Sharad Pawar, and former members (led by Ajit Pawar).”