Ahead of Assembly polls, MVA's two broken arrows wound Mahayuti

Mumbai: The 2024 Lok Sabha election results may prove to be a double whammy for the ruling Mahayuti alliance, coming barely four months before the Assembly elections due in October.

The aggressive, high-flying, ruling Mahayuti of SS-BJP-NCP was dealt an unanticipated but surgical maimer at the hands of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Congress-SS(UBT)-NCP(SP).

Among the two rival blocs, the MVA’s Congress has bagged 13 seats, up from two in 2014 and one in 2019, SS(UBT) 9, NCP(SP) 8.

The ruling Mahayuti’s BJP managed 9, SS got 7 and a single face-saver for NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, besides a Congress rebel-turned-Independent winner in Sangli.

Leaders from the MVA side claim that “obviously, this would have a direct bearing” on the prospects of the Mahayuti in the October Assembly polls.

“In the LS elections, we put up a united fight and secured around 65 per cent of (48) seats. This was despite certain disadvantages like two broken parties (SS-UBT and NCP-SP), taking on the money and muscle power of the ruling side,” said a top Congress leader, preferring anonymity.

An NCP(SP) leader pointed out that the victory on 30 LS seats would impact at least 180 out of 288 Assembly seats directly, and many others indirectly, considering the Mahayuti has bagged some seats with low margins.

These include Mumbai North West won by Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Waikar with a victory margin of 48 votes - the lowest in the country - defeating SS(UBT)’s Amol Kirtikar.

The latter suspects something amiss and is likely to challenge the result.

Similarly, Akola was bagged by BJP’s Anup Dhotre trouncing the Congress’ Abhay Patil by a small margin of 40,626 votes.

Buldhana was won by Shiv Sena’s Prataprao Jadhav who vanquished SS(UBT)’s Narendra Khedkar by 29,479 votes.

Hatkanangale was bagged by Shiv Sena’s Dhairyasheel Mane by trumping SS(UBT)’s Satyajit Patil-Sarudkar by a margin of 13,426 votes.

Satara was won by the BJP’s Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhonsle after defeating NCP(SP)’s Shashikant Shinde by a difference of 32,771 votes.

There are a handful of seats won by the MVA with similar narrow margins, overcoming the inherent handicap of being in the Opposition, he added.

The MVA juggernaut appeared to bulldoze the Mahayuti in almost all regions, even in its purported bastions.

In the crucial coastal Konkan region comprising the country’s commercial capital, of the 12 LS seats, the MVA bagged 5 (Congress 1, SS(UBT) 3, NCP(SP) 1); and the Mahayuti won 7 (Shiv Sena 3, BJP 3 and NCP 1).

Of the 10 LS seats in Western Maharashtra, the MVA won 5 (Congress 2, NCP(SP) 3); while the Mahayuti bagged 4 (Shiv Sena 2, BJP 2); plus one Congress rebel-turned-Independent winner in Sangli, who is likely to support the MVA.

In North Maharashtra, which has 8 LS seats, the MVA bagged 6 (Congress 2, SS(UBT) 2 and NCP(SP) 2); and the Mahayuti won 2 (both BJP).

The Marathwada region with 8 LS seats saw MVA getting 7 (Congress 3, SS(UBT) 3, NCP(SP) 1); and the Mahayuti got 1 (Shiv Sena) seat.

In the critical Vidarbha region, of the 10 seats, the MVA got 8 (Congress 6, SS(UBT) and NCP(SP) 1 each); and the Mahayuti got 2 (BJP and Shiv Sena 1 each).

Among those who bit the dust from the Mahayuti were three Union ministers, one state minister and around 20 sitting MPs of the 17th Lok Sabha.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)