Maharashtra Election Result 2024: The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday broke the silence after the humiliating defeat of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra Assembly election 2024, and said that the results were not on the expected lines.
“Maharashtra assembly poll results are not on expected lines. Will study reasons and go to people. This is the people's decision. Women's participation in large numbers could be the reason for the Mahayuti sweep in Maharashtra polls,” reported PTI quoting Pawar.
Sharad Pawar made the remarks while speaking in Karad.
The former Chief Minister said that they (MVA) were more confident after the Lok Sabha results, and it seemed that they needed to work more.
Of the 288 seats in the assembly, BJP won 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, NCP 41. Whereas, Shiv Sena-UBT won 20 seats, Congress 16, NCP-S 10, Samajwadi Party 2 and others won 10 seats.
The Mahayuti comprises of BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) . Whereas Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance partners include Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP).
Pawar also rejected the reports that there was no coordination between the MVA alliance partners.
Pawar said that he travelled to various districts, adding, everyone including Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress made collective efforts, but the result did not match the efforts they made.
"There was no lack of coordination anywhere," said Pawar.
Reacting to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP getting many more seats than his party, Pawar said that there were no qualms in accepting Ajit Pawar getting more seats. However, he added, “But everyone knows who the NCP founder is.”
On the decision of fielding nephew Yugendra Pawar against Ajit Pawar in Baramati constituency, Pawar said that it wasn't a wrong decision as someone had to contest.
“There can be no comparison between Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar,” Sharad Pawar added.
Ajit Pawar won his traditional seat by defeating Yugendra by more than one lakh votes.
Ajit, who parted ways with his uncle Sharad Pawar last year, polled 1,81,132 votes while Yugendra Pawar polled 80,233 votes.
In Lok Sabha elections this year, NCP (SP) candidate and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule defeated Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes in Baramati Lok Sabha seat.