BJP Powers Mahayuti To Mind-boggling Maharashtra Win, JMM Leads INDIA Bloc To Jharkhand Glory

Last Updated:November 23, 2024, 23:12 IST

The defeat in Maharashtra raises a question mark on the political futures of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar who lost their original party names and symbols following rebellions led by close associates and fought these polls as a...Read More

With projections of over 220 seats for the Mahayuti out of the total 288 in Maharashtra, this marks an extraordinary reversal from the outcome of the April-June Lok Sabha elections. (File image: News18)

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance scored a runaway victory on Saturday in the make-or-break Maharashtra elections over the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi, with the last five years witnessing significant political realignments in the state as regional behemoths Shiv Sena and NCP saw splits. In Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc comprising chief minister Hemant Soren’s JMM, the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) emerged victorious.

As the Election Commission also announced results for 48 assembly bypolls across states, the BJP-led Democratic Alliance triumphed in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, and Rajasthan, the Congress had the upper hand in Karnataka, while the Trinamool Congress swept West Bengal. In two parliamentary bypolls, Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a winning electoral debut in Kerala’s Wayanad with a margin of over 4 lakh votes, while Maharashtra’s Nanded went to the BJP’s Santukrao Hambade.

With projections of over 220 seats for the Mahayuti out of the total 288 in Maharashtra, this marks an extraordinary reversal from the outcome of the April-June Lok Sabha elections.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which put up a stunning show in the general elections, suffered a massive setback in the Maharashtra assembly polls, with its cumulative tally less than one-fourth of the Mahayuti’s score. The defeat raises a question mark on the political futures of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who lost their original party names and symbols following rebellions led by close associates and fought these polls as a prestige battle.

The man of the moment, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, has become a key figure in state politics and looks on course to regain the CM’s post—a position he has held twice before.

Most exit polls had predicted a comfortable victory for the Mahayuti in Maharashtra.

PM hails ‘historic’ Maharashtra mandate, congratulates JMM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the “historic" Maharashtra election results as a victory of “development and good governance".

“Development wins! Good governance wins! United we will soar even higher! Heartfelt gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Maharashtra, especially the youth and women of the state, for a historic mandate to the NDA. This affection and warmth is unparalleled. I assure the people that our Alliance will keep working for Maharashtra’s progress. Jai Maharashtra!" he wrote on social media site X.

The PM also congratulated the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance for its win. He thanked people across various states for “blessing NDA candidates in various bypolls".

“I am proud of every NDA Karyakarta for their efforts on the ground. They worked hard, went among people and elaborated on our good governance agenda," he wrote.

Observers say the Mahayuti’s success is driven by its women-centric welfare initiatives, particularly the Ladki Bahin scheme, which provides Rs 1,500 per month to beneficiaries, as well as the BJP’s strategic focus on consolidating the Hindutva vote.

Hard-won victory: Hemant Soren

The INDIA bloc, comprising the JMM, Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal, crossed the halfway mark comfortably in Jharkhand, even as many exit polls had predicted an advantage for the BJP-led NDA.

“I heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has congratulated us. I want to thank him," said Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. “All of you know it is a hard-won victory after the battle between INDIA and the NDA…The people have taken a huge, responsible decision in ensuring the state remains strong. Many first-time voters participated, and I thank them for their support."

In the 2019 assembly elections, chief minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, won 47 of the state’s 82 seats.

Earlier this year, Hemant Soren resigned as CM ahead of his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on corruption charges. He was briefly replaced by Champai Soren, a veteran politician and close aide of party patriarch Shibu Soren. But after Hemant returned to the CM’s chair following his release on bail, Champai rebelled and later quit to join the BJP.

The JMM tried to spur Adivasi anger by pointing to Hemant Soren’s “unjust arrest". The BJP, on the other hand, mounted a campaign that the JMM-led government allowed “illegal immigrants" from Bangladesh to settle in the state’s Santhal Pargana, a tribal-dominated region.

News elections BJP Powers Mahayuti To Mind-boggling Maharashtra Win, JMM Leads INDIA Bloc To Jharkhand Glory