Mumbai:

Resort politics has made a comeback in Maharashtra, as has the possibility of cross-voting and horsetrading, as the state gears up to hold elections for 11 Legislative Council seats on Friday. Riding high after its unexpectedly good performance in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it won 30 of the state’s 48 seats, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has fielded three candidates, one more than it has the numbers to elect, necessitating the election.

The Maharashtra Assembly, which has 288 seats, currently has 274 members, meaning that every MLC candidate needs 23 first-preference votes to get elected. The ruling Mahayuti – part of the larger NDA alliance – which consists of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar wing of the NCP, has fielded nine candidates and has 201 MLAs, including Independents and smaller parties, backing it. 

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is under the INDIA umbrella, has the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) as its key constituents and has put up three candidates despite having the support of only 67 MLAs. Six MLAs, including an independent, are neutral and may end up playing a key role in the elections because 12 candidates are now vying for 11 Lok Sabha seats. 

What makes the exercise interesting, apart from the numbers game, is its timing – just after the Lok Sabha elections and months ahead of the Assembly polls in the state – which has led to it being dubbed a semi-final. This is also only the second time that elections will be held in Maharashtra’s unique political environment, where the split of two regional parties has led to two Shiv Senas and two NCPs – under very similar but different names – being pitted against each other. 

The Lok Sabha polls were the first round and parties from both sides are now pulling out all stops to ensure that they come out tops in the second. After Ajit Pawar’s NCP won just one Lok Sabha seat, there has been a strong buzz that MLAs from his party are looking to jump ship and return to the faction of the party led by Sharad Pawar. Their support is what may have given the opposition the confidence to field a third candidate.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who triggered the need for the election by fielding his close aide, Milind Narvekar, had said, “We would not be doing it (fielding a third candidate) if we had not been confident of winning.”

How The Numbers Stack Up – Mahayuti

The BJP, which has 103 MLAs, has fielded five candidates – Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe and Sadabhau Khot – which means that it is 12 MLAs short of the number it needs to get them elected.

The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena has 37 members in the Assembly and has put up two candidates – Krupal Tumane and Bhawana Gawli. It is nine MLAs short.

The faction of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar has 39 MLAs and has two candidates in the fray,  Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje, falling seven short of the 46 votes needed to get them elected. 

The ruling coalition is, however, banking on nine MLAs from smaller parties and 13 Independents to see it through. 

How The Numbers Stack Up – Maha Vikas Aghadi

The Congress, with 37 MLAs and one candidate, Pradyna Satav, is the only party with 14 surplus votes. Sharad Pawar’s NCP, with its 13 MLAs, is supporting the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP’s) Jayant Patil. 

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena has put up Mr Narve as a candidate despite having just 15 MLAs, eight short of the figure it needs. 

The Congress votes may make up for the shortfall faced by Mr Patil and Mr Narve but the votes of the AIMIM’s two MLAs, the SP’s two, the CPI(M)’s lone MLA and one Independent – all of whom are seen to be neutral – will be key. The Congress has claimed the coalition has the support of at least some of these MLAs

MLAs In Hotels

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress, organised a dinner meeting for his party MLAs at a hotel in Mumbai on Thursday night. The Congress has issued a whip to its MLAs asking them to vote for candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Exact instructions, given the surplus votes, will be issued just before voting begins, reported news agency PTI. 

Uddhav Thackeray held a dinner interaction with his MLAs at a five-star hotel in central Mumbai on Wednesday night. All 11 MLAs who attended the meeting stayed back at the hotel, where they were joined by the four remaining legislators on Thursday, said a party leader. 

Ajit Pawar’s NCP has moved its MLAs to a five-star hotel near the airport in suburban Mumbai while MLAs from Shiv Sena gathered in Vidhan Bhavan complex on Wednesday morning for a meeting and then moved to a five-star hotel in Bandra. 

BJP MLAs are also at a luxury hotel, but the the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has not made any such move. 

Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra president of the NCP, said, “We have full faith in our MLAs and don’t feel the need to keep them in five-star hotels.” 

Voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm and counting of votes will begin an hour later. 

(With inputs from PTI)

Nagpur:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday made light of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s criticism of the budget by saying the latter had himself once admitted he does not understand it.

The budget for 2024-25 presented in the Assembly earlier in the day by deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar brings happiness to all sections of society with various welfare schemes, Mr Fadnavis asserted while speaking to reporters at the airport here.

Mr Thackeray had described the Maharashtra budget as a “torrent of assurances” and a “false narrative” pretending to offer something to every section of society.

“Uddhav Thackeray had earlier said, and that too on stage, that he does not understand the budget. When he has said something like this then there is no need to respond to his comment,” Me Fadnavis asserted.

Answering a query, the deputy chief minister said cotton and soybean farmers, most of whom are from Vidarbha, will get relief from the budget announcements and financial aid will be deposited in their bank accounts directly.

The decision on DBT for them was taken earlier but could not be implemented due to the model code of conduct in force for the Lok Sabha polls, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.

“Dairy farmers will get subsidy of Rs 5 per litre. The Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, the provision for three free gas cylinders, Rs 10,000 stipend for youth etc have brought happiness to all sections of society. The CM and finance minister have given a very good budget,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday took a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for his statement that the monsoon session beginning June 27 will be the farewell session of the MahaYuti government.

“Shouldn’t he (Uddhav Thackeray) be in the House to give a farewell? Or will he say goodbye from a Facebook Live? The people will decide whether to bid a farewell,” Shinde said, asserting that those sitting in the government are connected to the people and have done a slew of works for their betterment.

The obvious reference was Uddhav Thackeray’s regular use of Facebook Live during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s tenure, instead of coming to the Mantralaya.

Shinde, who chaired the state Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, also criticised the opposition for its move to boycott the customary tea meeting convened by him on the eve of the monsoon session.

“This is the last session of the present state Assembly. So we thought that the opposition would come and discuss a range of issues during the tea meeting. However, they gave a letter mentioning the same issues, which the government will reply to in the House. The opposition is confused,” claimed Shinde.

“The opposition may have got momentary happiness after the Lok Sabha elections, but despite all the attacks, Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister for the third time,” the Chief Minister said, as he reiterated that the opposition spread a fake narrative that changes will be made in the Constitution and reservation policies.

‘’Despite spreading such fake narratives, Congress got only 99 seats and the party will need another 25 years to win 240 seats,” he said.

“The Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray camp were pitted against each other in 13 seats, of which we won seven seats. Of the total 19 per cent votes, bow & arrow (Sena symbol) got 14.50 per cent. So what did the Thackeray cam get,” Shinde asked.

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

Mumbai:

The Sena versus Sena battle heated up on the occasion of the Shiv Sena foundation day as Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde held parallel programmes in two parts of Mumbai. And from Sion’s Shanmukhanand Hall, Uddhav Thackeray, powered by the people’s support, issued an open challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Modi-ji I invite you to start campaign for assembly election in Maharashtra… it will be you versus me,” he said, pointing to the election due by year-end.

“My message to the BJP — try winning an election without using my original symbol. I am proud that we did not use anyone else’s picture. We will never use either, especially of PM Modi. I challenge PM Modi to start preparations today – keeping this fake Shiv Sena away,” he added.

Mr Thackeray also rubbished speculation about the two Sena factions joining hands and remaining in the NDA fold. He would never go with those who tried to “finish off” his party, Mr Thackeray said.

Though the rebel faction led by Eknath Shinde was awarded the name and election symbol of the undivided Shiv Sena by the Election Commission, the voters had decisively settled the legacy issue. And they did not agree with the poll body.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena won nine seats and the Shinde faction seven.

The other party in the same boat,  the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, won eight seats. The faction led by his nephew Ajit Pawar — which also got the name and party symbol from the Election Commission — only one.

Ally Congress won 13 seats.

The people’s disapproval of the political upheaval in the state extended to the BJP, which, Mr Shinde once let slip, had engineered the Sena split. The party’s score was cut down to nine seats, from 23 in 2019 .

But Chief Minister Eknath Shinde remained determined to push the point he based his rebellion on — that Mr Thackeray had strayed from the ideology set down by Sena founder and his father Balasaheb Thackeray.

“Where has your Hindutva gone? You have no right to seek votes in Balasaheb Thackeray’s name,” he said at a massive rally in Worli’s NSCI dome.  “Even a small kid will tell you that the Shiv Sena UBT won because of the Congress’ vote bank. Those who left Bal Thackeray’s thoughts for position, lost in the election. Bal Thackeray always talked against the Congress,” he added.

But Mr Thackeray had already covered the point.

“We got votes of all patriots, people of all religions. They said we left Hindutva, because we went with the Congress. I did not leave Hindutva. If everyone voted for us to save the country and the constitution, then people are with us. It shows the BJP is the one that left Hindutva,” Mr Thackeray said.

Mumbai:

Amid the row over news reports claiming that the phone of a Shiv Sena candidate’s aide was connected to an EVM during counting of votes in Mumbai’s North West Lok Sabha seat, leaders of NDA and INDIA bloc in Maharashtra are trading barbs.

Ravindra Waitkar, a leader of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won the Mumbai North West seat by a margin of just 48 votes. The runner-up was Amol Kirtikar from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). The Thackery-led faction bagged nine Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, while Mr Shinde’s Sena got seven.

Soon after the news reports emerged, leaders of Uddhav Thackeray’s party demanded that the CCTV footage of counting day be released.

The Election Commission has trashed the news reports and issued notices to the publishers.

Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer of Mumbai North West, said an EVM was a standalone system and there was no need for an OTP to unlock it. “It is not programmable and has no wireless communication capabilities. It is a lie being spread by a newspaper,” she told the media.

The poll official, however, admitted that the personal mobile phone of one Dinesh Gurav, data entry operator of Jogeshwari assembly constituency, was found with an unauthorised person — Mr Waitkar’s brother-in-law Mangesh Pandilkar — and action is being taken. “Data entry and vote counting are two different aspects. An OTP enables the ARO to open the encore login system for data entry. The counting process is independent and has nothing to do with unauthorised use of mobile phone, which is an unfortunate incident and is being probed,” she added.

The official said that neither Mr Waikar nor Mr Kirtikar had sought a recount of votes. She added that CCTV footage cannot be given without court orders.

Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, said the Election Commission lacks the courage to release the CCTV footage of the counting centre. “We have always had suspicions about this regime tampering with EVMs. Even Elon Musk has expressed his views, claiming everything can be hacked. Despite several requests, the Election Commission does not have the courage to release the CCTV footage of the counting day that would support our claims,” Mr Thackeray said.

Team Thackeray also got support from its ally Congress. Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the poll result of Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat must be stayed. The Election Commission, he said, must call a meeting of all parties and discuss this issue thoroughly. “There must be a probe into the unauthorised used of the mobile phone. The FIR report has not been made public,” he added.

The political row over the news reports on the Mumbai North West seat was fuelled by a social media remark by X boss and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Responding to a post on Puerto Rico elections, Musk wrote, “We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high.”

The remark drew a sharp response from BJP leader and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Saying that while Musk’s view may apply to other places where voting machines are connected to the Internet, the BJP leader said EVMs in India are secure and isolated from any network and “there is no way in”.

Opposition parties, however, latched on to Elon Musk’s remark to question the EVM method. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said EVMs in India “are a ‘black box’ and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them”. “Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability,” he said, while sharing Musk’s post and a news report on Ravindra Waitkar’s election.

Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief and a Congress ally, shared Musk’s post with a note: “Technology is to remove problems, if they become a cause of problems, their use must be stopped.”

Mr Gandhi’s remarks on EVMs drew a response from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who said the Congress leader must resign and contest the polls again if he does not trust EVMs.

“Rahul Gandhi has won from two places. The same EVM was kept there also, so he should say that the EVM machine was faulty everywhere and he should resign and contest the election again,” he said. “According to him, where they get good seats, the EVMs are fine, and where they get fewer seats, the EVMs are faulty. Will this happen?,” Mr Shinde added.

The Shiv Sena leader, whose mutiny against Uddhav Thackeray split the party and toppled the Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra, questioned the Opposition’s stance on EVMs.

“Wherever the Maha Vikas Aghadi has won, there the EVM machine has functioned correctly. But wherever they lose, they are (opposition) raising objections on the machine. What kind of behaviour is this?,” he said.

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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Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repeatedly targeting him and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and claimed that he is eager to reclaim the PM’s post instead of paving the way for the next generation.

Addressing an election rally in Thane to canvass for incumbent MP and his party candidate Rajan Vichare on Thursday, Mr. Thackeray called the contest a clash between loyalty and betrayal.

Also Read | India General Elections 2024 LIVE updates

The Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has nominated Naresh Mhaske for the Thane Lok Sabha constituency, which along with 12 other seats, including six in Mumbai, will vote in the fifth phase on May 20.

The contest in Thane is a prestige battle for Shinde, an influential leader from the region who split the original Shiv Sena in 2022 and aligned with the BJP.

However, Mr. Thackeray mainly focussed on Modi and his policies. He accused Mr. Modi of stirring controversies through his rhetoric and claimed that the BJP is shifting its narratives, from pledges of securing a majority to allegations of dynasty politics.

The Sena (UBT) hit out at Mr. Modi for repeatedly targeting him and Sharad Pawar. In his recent speeches, Mr. Modi had called Mr. Thackeray’s party “nakli Sena” and described Pawar as a “bhatakti aatma” (wandering soul).

Mr. Modi is eager to get back the PM’s post instead of paving the way for the next generation, he claimed.

Mr. Thackeray defended the coalition model, citing its past successes and contrasting them with the perceived stagnation under single-party rule.

Mr. Thackeray said Shiv Sena and Thane share a unique bond as the city gave the party a foothold in its early days, he added.

Mumbai:

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday the BJP has failed to convey a narrative to the people in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Unemployment and inflation affect everyone, and people are angry about the BJP’s rule of the last ten years, he said in an interview to TV9 Marathi.

“The BJP has not succeeded in communicating any narrative to the people in this election. Its farce of the last ten years is visible to the country,” he said.

To a question about Muslims gravitating towards the Shiv Sena (UBT) since he broke off the ties with the BJP, Mr Thackeray said, “We have not abandoned our Hindutva ideology, and will not do so in future. Our Hindutva is one that helps light the cooking stove in a house, the BJP’s Hindutva is one that burns down a house”.

The BJP has been targeting Mr Thackeray for “abandoning’ his party’s original Hindutva ideology by joining hands with the Congress.

The “Dharavi model” of handling the coronavirus pandemic became popular when he was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and he did not discriminate against any community during that period, Mr Thackeray said.

The BJP’s claim of the opposition promoting “vote-Jihad” will not have any effect, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has understood neither Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva nor his ideals, Mr Thackeray claimed.

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

Pune:

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said his outfit was not a “small party”, and hit out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over their reactions to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s ‘merger’ remark.

Earlier, in an interview to The Indian Express, Sharad Pawar predicted that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress, or even merge with it.

While chief minister Shinde latched on to Sharad Pawar’s comment to target Uddhav Thackeray saying he had already become “Congress-minded”, Mr Fadnavis said it showed how difficult it was for Sharad Pawar himself to manage his party.

Speaking at an election rally in Pune district, Uddhav Thackeray said Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were speaking as if they were high on ‘bhaang’ (cannabis).

“Pawar saheb said while replying to a question that some small regional parties may merge with Congress. Please tell me, is Shiv Sena a small party?” he asked.

Uddhav Thackeray also took swipes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that unlike in 2014 and 2019, he has no issues left during the ongoing elections.

“I had heard in my childhood that if someone is scared of ghosts, he should chant ‘Ram, Ram’. Since he is scared of defeat, he is going around the country chanting the name of Ram,” alleged Mr Thackeray.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Sangli, Maharashtra:

 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for “not answering” issues related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) due to “his new vote bank.”

Mr Shah claims that the vote bank of Sharad Pawar and Congress has now become Uddhav Thackeray’s new vote bank.

Addressing a public meeting in Sangli, Amit Shah said, “I want to ask the chief of ‘fake’ Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray, you should make it clear in front of the people of Maharashtra, should CAA be implemented or not? should PFI be banned or not? Construction of Ram temple was good thing or bad thing? Removal of triple talaq was a good thing or not?… Uddhav ji won’t answer this because he is scared of his new vote bank…The vote bank of Sharad Pawar and Congress has now become his vote bank.”

Mr Shah said the upcoming election is between those who ‘vote for jihad’ and those who prioritise development.

“Today there are two camps in the country- First one is against Ram Mandir, Second – of Modi ji, of NDA… who is going to build the Ram temple. On one side, there are people who vote for jihad, On the other hand, there are people who vote for development. On the one hand, there are people who care for the welfare of their families, On the other hand, there are people working for the welfare of the country under the leadership of Modi ji,” he said.

Amit Shah claimed that the previous Congress government ignored terrorism while PM Modi government retaliated against Pakistan within 10 days of the Uri and Pulwama attacks.

“In the Congress government, in the Sonia-Manmohan government… earlier, Alia, Malia, and Jamalia used to come from Pakistan almost every other day and would carry out bomb blasts and go away… no one would say anything. When Modi Ji became PM in 2014, Pakistan attacked Uri and Pulwama, but they forgot that now Manmohan Singh is not the Prime Minister, and now Modi Ji is the Prime Minister. In just 10 days, under the leadership of Modi ji, our army entered Pakistan and took revenge,” he said.

The BJP has re-nominated two-term sitting MP Sanjay Patil, who will compete against Shiv Sena’s wrestler Chandrahar Patil, and Vishal Patil, an independent candidate and grandson of former CM Vasantdada Patil.

The BJP has won the Sangli Lok Sabha seat in both the 2014 and 2019 elections. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats. So far, voting is done on 13 seats; polling in the remaining 11 seats along with Sangli Lok Sabha seats will be held on May 7. Counting for all seats will take place on June 4.

In 2019, BJP won 23 seats, while its ally undivided Shiv Sena won 18 seats. NCP and Congress could only win four and one seats respectively.

Shiv Sena (undivided), Congress and NCP were part of a MVA coalition government in Maharashtra from 2019-22, after which Eknath Shinde-led faction broke away from the party and formed the government with the support of BJP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)