As the BJP-led alliance stuns the Congress parties and its allies in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses the win to assert his government. How did BJP overcome the setback in Lok Sabha elections so quickly?
Our Bureau
Mumbai/New Delhi
In historic mandate that left the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi stunned, BJP drove its allies in Mahayuti in Maharashtra to a landslide victory with the ruling alliance getting as many as 230 seats in 288-member Maharashtra assembly.
In Maharashtra, the BJP saw a fabulous strike rate with the party winning 132 of 148 seats it contested. Party’s allies Shiv Sena and NCP also had a very good strike rate. While Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde won 57 seats, NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar won 41.
The unprecedented Mahayuti victory came months after it suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha polls winning only 17 of 48 seats. The constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt and Congress raised questions over the results. The party could win only 16 of over 100 seats it contested. Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray won 20 seats and NCP(SP) led by Sharad Pawar only 10 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP workers at the party headquarters following Mahayuti’s thumping victory and said records had been created.
He said in the last 50 years, no party or any pre-poll alliance has won such a massive victory. “This is the third consecutive time that the BJP has emerged as the largest party in Maharashtra, which is undoubtedly a historic feat. This victory is a stamp on the BJP’s governance model. The people of Maharashtra have given the BJP many more seats than the Congress and its allies combined. This shows that when it comes to good governance, the country trusts only the BJP and the NDA,” he said.
PM Modi also said this is the third consecutive time that BJP alliance has got the blessings of people of the state.
He also targeted Congress in his speech, describing it as a “parasitic party” that sinks its allies.
This was the first assembly polls in Maharashtra after split in Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party and the MVA was hit by the Mahayuti tsunami. No opposition party has the numbers to claim position of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.
Uddhav Thackeray, who lost his chief ministerial position due to split in his party in 2022, was keen to prove a point in the assembly polls and had repeatedly referred to group led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as “traitors”.
Coming down heavily on the INDIA bloc after BJP-led Mahayuti scored historic victory in Maharashtra assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the leaders of the opposition alliance are unable to understand the country’s mood as voters support those who put “Nation First” and not those who dream of “kursi first”.
“The leaders of INDI Alliance are not able to understand the changed mood of the country. These people do not want to accept the truth, these people still underestimate the wisdom of the common Indian voter. The voter of the country is with the spirit of ‘Nation First’. Those who dream of ‘chair first’ are not liked by the voters of the country,” PM Modi said addressing party workers in BJP headquarters.
He said one constitution will be applicable in the country and those who talk about two will be completely rejected by the people of the country.
The Prime Minister took a dig at Congress for its alliance with Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray and said Maharashtra election “has exposed the true faces of the INDI and Aghadi groups” before the nation.
“We all know that Balasaheb Thackeray made significant contributions to this country. However, the Congress, driven by a desire for power, managed to take a faction of his party along, but no Congress leader can ever praise Balasaheb’s principles. That’s why I challenged the Aghadi leaders to get Congress to praise Balasaheb’s principles and policies, but they’ve failed to do so till date,” he said.
PM Modi said that Article 370 will not be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. “Congress and its allies tried to build a wall of Article 370 again in Jammu and Kashmir. Maharashtra has clearly told them that this will not work. I also tell the Congress people and their allies to listen carefully… now no power in the world can bring back Article 370.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday celebrated outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office by bursting crackers after the results of the by-elections to nine assembly seats in the state were declared.
On Saturday, the Election Commission of India declared the results of by-elections for 48 assembly seats held across 13 states, with the BJP and its allies winning the majority of the seats, while Congress won both Lok Sabha constituencies of Wayanad in Kerala and Nanded in Maharashtra.
The JMM-led alliance also created history in Jharkhand scoring a convincing victory and is the only incumbent alliance in the state to return to power after five years in office. JMM won 34 seats and its allies won 22 more seats – Congress 16, RJD 4 and CPI(ML) two. BJP won 21 seats. Polling was held for 81 seats in Jharkhand.
The news was also for good for ruling parties in most states in the bypolls to 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 seats with Trinamool Congress sweeping all seats in West Bengal, Congress in Karnataka, ruling NDA in Bihar and BJP putting up strong performance in Uttar Pradesh.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won six assembly by-polls, and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD) won one seat, while the Samajwadi Party was able to win just two seats out of nine contested.
Following the massive win in UP by-elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday congratulated party leaders and workers and said that the credit for the “historic win” goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“Today the results of the Maharashtra Election 2024 and Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024 have come, and the results of the by-elections have also come… PM Modi’s vision and leadership have helped us to win. The public has shown their trust in PM Modi’s vision and policies… I congratulate all the winning candidates,” CM Yogi said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow.
Among the assembly by-polls, the BJP and its allies won the maximum seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) also won all six seats in West Bengal, while Congress won only seven seats, including all three assembly constituencies in Karnataka.
In Kerala, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was making her electoral debut, registered a massive victory in the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-poll.
According to the Election Commission, Priyanka Gandhi won the Wayanad by-poll by 410,931 votes by defeating BJP’s Navya Haridas and CPI’s Sathyan Mokeri. She won 622,338 votes against Navya Haridas’ 109,939.
This win will allow Priyanka Gandhi to join her mother, Sonia Gandhi, a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, and her brother Rahul Gandhi, who represents the Rae Bareli constituency in the Lok Sabha.
In Assam, the BJP won three seats while its allies, the United Peoples Party, Liberal, and Asom Gana Parishad, won one seat each.
In Rajasthan, the BJP emerged victorious in five out of seven assembly constituencies, while the Congress and the Bharat Adivasi Party won one seat each.
Similarly, the BJP won the lone assembly seat each in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, while the National People’s Party won the lone seat in Meghalaya.
The by-elections were held in 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 states.
