Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 24 : Expressing happiness over the outcome of the Maharashtra assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde on Saturday said that the response was greater than expected. She slammed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) saying that the public has rejected fake narratives and has shown acceptance of the politics of development.
"It is a very big victory of the Mahayuti...The response was more than we expected...We are very happy as the public has rejected fake narratives and accepted the politics of development..." said Pankaja Munde.
In Maharashtra, the BJP led the Mahayuti alliance to a smashing victory, carrying its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, forward with its momentum.
While the BJP has won or is ahead in 133 seats, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has won or is ahead in 56 seats and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is poised to win 41 seats. The state has a total of 288 assembly seats.
The constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray poised to win 20 seats, Congress 16 and NCP(SCP) led by Sharad Pawar only 10 seats.
The BJP posted an impressive strike rate with the party poised to win 133 of the 148 seats it contested in Maharashtra. The party's allies Shiv Sena and NCP also achieved a good strike rate.
This was the first assembly election after the split between the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party. Uddhav Thackeray lost his Chief Ministerial position in 2022 due to a split in his party, and he was keen to prove a point in the assembly polls.
Eknath Shinde, who became Maharashtra's Chief Minister after the split in Shiv Sena, gained popularity in the last two-and-a-half years due to welfare measures initiated by the Mahayuti government including the Ladki Bahin scheme.