Maharashtra Election Results: BJP ensures safe score with Shiv Sena

While voters in the state did not reject the BJPShiv Sena alliance entirely they have certainly sounded a warning bell for the ruling parties to get their act together while running the next saffron government Thursdays results were a clear indication of peoples aspirationsVoters did not completely fall for the nationalistic agenda of the BJP that reaped it a good harvest in the Lok Sabha polls Local issues demand more attention in Assembly polls they seem to have suggested In creating a fractured mandate voters beat unwanted candidates from the ruling parties including half a dozen ministers and supported the saffron rebels who suited profiles of their respective constituenciesWhen last reports came in the BJP was leading in 103 seats Sena in 57 NCP in 53 and Congress had managed to race ahead in 46 places Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS held on to one seat while the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi did not appear in the upper ranks The BJP especially CM Devendra Fadnavis seemed to have put the party in the safety net by forging a prepoll alliance with the Sena but the principal ruling party lacked teeth in countering the Nationalist Congress Partys president Sharad Pawars seamless campaign that rode high on the accusations of BJPs vendetta politics Pawar emerged as the hero of the 2019 Assembly polls The people who left us have not been accepted by the voters Pawar said in a press conferenceIllustrationUday MohiteBlow to BJPThe BJP however couldnt retain the 2014 strength of 122 MLAs Its loss in Satara Lok Saba bypolls mdash the trouncing of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs direct descendant Udayanraje Bhosale at the hands of NCPs former MP and governor Shrivinas Patil mdash proved a big blow Pawar vowed to defeat Bhosale who left him four months after winning as NCP candidate from Satara He held an election rally here in heavy downpour The image of a drenched Pawar mdash speaking into the mike mdash stole the show and gave NCP unprecedented traction just ahead of pollingBJPs prepoll partner Shiv Senas dream of getting closer to a 80100mark didnt materialise but the BJPs relatively poor performance has come as a blessing in disguise for the Sena which should make it pull strings in the game of power Incoming of prospective winners into the BJP and Sena was one of the raging points in the opposition campaign But 19 of the 35 turncoats were defeated The turncoat winners however carried the saffron alliance into the safety zone Fadnavis said 15 independents rebels had contacted him and extended BJP their support thoughThackeray wants 50 shareDigesting an upset in his backyard Bandra East Kherwadi and loss of two ministers Thackeray welcomed the verdict that eventually reduced his partys existing strength But he did not miss an opportunity to snub the BJP The voters have voted very responsibly and shown that no pressure can work on them They have opened the eyes of national parties read BJP that had taken the voters for granted The results are a great leveller because they have grounded highflying people He sent a caution to the BJP camp saying that he wouldnt compromise further and stick to the 5050 powersharing formulaI considered BJPs difficulties in the past but I will not be in a position to do that any longer I expect Amitbhai Shah and other BJP leaders to discuss the next move I want the formula that we finalised before Lok Sabha to be implemented he said He said he would not discuss the Senas demand for CMs position because if the partners continued to fight for the important position at this juncture the people of Maharashtra would not treat the internal fight very nicely But I assure you that I will not accept anything haphazard that is offered by the BJP in bargain I want everything to be decided transparently he said He evaded a question on his newlyelected son Aadityas prospects of making the CMO in his debutAlready decidedEndorsing the Sena presidents view CM Fadnavis said that things between the saffron alliance would be implemented as decided earlier We have decided and we will let you know about it at an appropriate time said Fadnavis at the partys headquarters where the celebrations were subdued The loss of five ministers mdash Pankaja Munde Ram Shinde Anil Bonde all cabinet and Bala Bhegade and Parinay Fuke ministers of state and defeats of several other nominees proved a dampner for the BJP The muchawaited congratulatory messages from PM Narendra Modi and other leaders arrived much later in the day In addition Sena ministers of state Arjun Khotkar and Vijay Shivtare also lost the electionsStrike rate outstandingFadnavis said though the BJP lost many seats because of rebellion the strike rate achieved was about 70 per cent We won 122 by contesting 260 last time but this time we would be winning anywhere between 100105 from 164 seats We have increased 2014s strike rate of 47 per cent This means people have given us a mandate for running the next government he saidMandate for clean and stable govt says PM Narendra ModiPM Narendra Modi said the people of Maharashtra have voted for a stable and clean government that a young leadership had ran for the five years Giving credit to CM Devendra Fadnavis he said The young leadership did not betray the people and gave a spotless government Todays mandate is for the clean government that the leadership has provided and served the state honestly he saidReturning to power after running five years in government is an achievement in itself for us Maharashtra needed a stable government which even the parties with twothird majority hadnt provided in the past But the BJP took the Sena along when it didnt have numbers in 2014 and gave a stable government he said while addressing the party workers in New Delhi post the Maharashtra win Modi said it was the peoples decision that the BJP and Sena should get together to give them a better government Thats why the alliance has been voted to power once again he saidCatch up on all the latest Crime 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