The BJP's showing in Maharashtra has not only buttressed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's leadership, but has also proven that a severe drought and an agrarian crisis had minimum impact on polls. The BJP-Shiv Sena top brass' decision to bury the hatchet and reboot the traditional political Hindutva alliance boosted the combine to 41 out of the state's 48 seats, the same as 2014. (BJP 23; SS 18)

In fact, the saffron alliance has improved its performance in the region that is facing severe drought and agrarian crisis — Marathwada — winning seven of the eight seats. In 2014, Congress managed to win two seats (Nanded, Ashok Chavan; and Hingoli, Rajeev Satav) in the region. This time, Chavan lost to Shiv Sena's Pratap Chikhalikar. While Satav did not contest the polls, Sena's Hemant Patil defeated the Congress candidate in Hingoli.