The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance on Thursday managed to retain control of the Maharashtra Assembly, but with a reduced mandate. The alliance suffered losses in Vidarbha and western Maharashtra, with nine Ministers losing in the election.
With reduced numbers, the BJP will now be dependent on the Sena to form the government. Upping the ante, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, speaking at a press conference after the results, said it was time to implement the 50-50 formula for power-sharing, as decided earlier.
The BJP also lost the Lok Sabha bypoll in Satara, where it had fielded the incumbent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Udayanraje Bhosale after he switched sides.
Proving all exit polls wrong, the opposition Congress-NCP combine crossed the 100-seat mark riding an anti-incumbency wave in the rural belt of the State.
The BJP's parliamentary board that met in Delhi on Thursday evening authorised party president Amit Shah to hold discussions with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on government formation.
In absolute numbers, the BJP-Sena tally fell by 29 seats while the Congress-NCP notched up an additional 21 seats compared to the 2014 numbers.
The BJP won 103 seats out of the 150 it contested, while alliance partner Sena secured a clear mandate on 56 seats out of 124. The saffron alliance’s final tally stood at 159. The BJP’s 14 allies contested on the lotus symbol.
The opposition tally stood at 100 with the Congress winning 46 out of 147 seats it contested and NCP bagging 54 of the 121 seats it contested. Other opposition allies won six seats.
At a press conference, when asked about which party will get the chief minister’s post, Mr. Thackeray said, “It is time to remind the BJP about the formula arrived at when BJP chief Amit Shah visited my home....we had decided on 50:50 formula for the alliance.”
Prior to elections, the Sena was pitching Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray as the next deputy chief minister, a demand which BJP neither accepted nor denied publicly. With the BJP’s reduced numbers, the Sena is likely to be in the aggressive mode during the negotiations for the formation of the State government demanding better portfolios.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, claimed the mandate was emphatic and decisive in favour of the BJP- Sena alliance. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Fadnavis while giving a perspective to the final numbers, said the larger picture needs to be considered in the context of the number of seats contested by the party. If seats contested is taken as a base, the BJP’s “strike rate” this election turns out to be 70% as opposed to 47% in 2014.
“In 2014, we had won 120 seats from the contested 260. This time, we have contested 150 and won near 103, resulting in a better strike rare. The vote share last time was 28% on 260 seats and it is 26% on 150 seats. So it would be wrong to say we have lost ground this time,” the Chief Minister, who is seeking a second term, said.
Resurgent opposition
The opposition tally stood at 100 with the Congress winning 46 out of 147 seats it contested and NCP bagging 54 of the 121 seats it contested. Other opposition allies won six seats.
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019 results | As it happened
Riding high on the unexpected results, NCP chief Sharad Pawar called it the beginning of change. “The elections results are a beginning of change in Maharashtra. The results show that the people don't like the arrogance of power. When you detach yourself from the ground realities, the people do not welcome it. The BJP’s claims of crossing 220 seats has not been accepted by the people,” said Mr. Pawar.
In absolute numbers, the BJP-Sena tally fell by 29 seats as opposed to their tally in 2014 while the Congress-NCP notched up additional 21 seats compared to the 2014 numbers. The BJP won 103 seats out of the total 150 it contested while alliance partner Sena secured a clear mandate on 56 seats out of 124. The saffron alliance’s final tally stood at 159. Fourteen BJP allies contested on the BJP’s lotus symbol.
The opposition tally stood at 100 with the Congress winning 46 out of 147 seats it contested and NCP bagging 54 of the 121 seats it contested. Other opposition allies won six seats.
With reduced numbers as compared to 2014, the BJP will now be dependent on the Sena to form the government. Upping the ante, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said it was time to implement the 50-50 formula for power-sharing, as decided earlier.
At a press conference, when asked about which party will get the chief minister’s post, Mr. Thackeray said, “It is time to remind the BJP about the formula arrived at when BJP chief Amit Shah visited my home....we had decided on 50:50 formula for the alliance.”
Prior to elections, the Sena was pitching Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray as the next deputy chief minister, a demand which BJP neither accepted nor denied publicly. With the BJP’s reduced numbers, the Sena is likely to be in the aggressive mode during the negotiations for the formation of the State government demanding better portfolios.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, claimed the mandate was emphatic and decisive in favour of the BJP- Sena alliance. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Fadnavis while giving a perspective to the final numbers, said the larger picture needs to be considered in the context of the number of seats contested by the party. If seats contested is taken as a base, the BJP’s “strike rate” this election turns out to be 70% as opposed to 47% in 2014.
“In 2014, we had won 120 seats from the contested 260. This time, we have contested 150 and won near 103, resulting in a better strike rare. The vote share last time was 28% on 260 seats and it is 26% on 150 seats. So it would be wrong to say we have lost ground this time,” the Chief Minister, who is seeking a second term, said.
Riding high on the unexpected results, NCP chief Sharad Pawar called it the beginning of change. “The elections results are a beginning of change in Maharashtra. The results show that the people don't like the arrogance of power. When you detach yourself from the ground realities, the people do not welcome it. The BJP’s claims of crossing 220 seats has not been accepted by the people,” said Mr. Pawar.
In absolute numbers, the BJP-Sena combine’s tally fell by 29 seats, while the Congress-NCP alliance notched up an additional 21 seats, compared to the 2014 numbers.
The BJP won 103 seats out of the total 150 it contested, while the Shiv Sena secured a clear mandate on 56 seats out of 124. The saffron alliance’s final tally stood at 159. Fourteen BJP allies contested on the BJP’s lotus symbol.
The Opposition’s tally stood at 100, with the Congress winning 46 out of the 147 seats it contested and the NCP bagging 54 of the 121 seats it contested. Other Opposition allies won six seats. With reduced numbers compared to 2014, the BJP will be dependent on the Shiv Sena to form the government. Upping the ante, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said it was time to implement the 50-50 formula for power-sharing. , as decided earlier.
At a press conference, when asked about which party will get the chief minister’s post, Mr. Thackeray said, “It is time to remind the BJP about the formula arrived at when BJP chief Amit Shah visited my home....we had decided on 50:50 formula for the alliance.”
Prior to elections, the Sena was pitching Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray as the next deputy chief minister, a demand which BJP neither accepted nor denied publicly. With the BJP’s reduced numbers, the Sena is likely to be in the aggressive mode during the negotiations for the formation of the State government demanding better portfolios.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, claimed the mandate was emphatic and decisive in favour of the BJP- Sena alliance. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Fadnavis while giving a perspective to the final numbers, said the larger picture needs to be considered in the context of the number of seats contested by the party. If seats contested is taken as a base, the BJP’s “strike rate” this election turns out to be 70% as opposed to 47% in 2014.
“In 2014, we had won 120 seats from the contested 260. This time, we have contested 150 and won near 103, resulting in a better strike rare. The vote share last time was 28% on 260 seats and it is 26% on 150 seats. So it would be wrong to say we have lost ground this time,” the Chief Minister, who is seeking a second term, said.
Riding high on the unexpected results, NCP chief Sharad Pawar called it the beginning of change. “The elections results are a beginning of change in Maharashtra. The results show that the people don't like the arrogance of power. When you detach yourself from the ground realities, the people do not welcome it. The BJP’s claims of crossing 220 seats has not been accepted by the people,” said Mr. Pawar.
