Srinagar- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance has scripted a landslide victory in Maharashtra while the INDIA bloc retained Jharkhand in the Assembly polls, the results of which were announced on November 23.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also swept assembly bypolls in Bihar and Assam, while the Trinamool Congress dominated bypolls in West Bengal. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra scripted victory in her first election in the Wayanad parliamentary bypoll.
In Jharkhand, the JMM and its allies secured 56 out of the total 81 assembly seats. JMM leader Hemant Soren, who is set to return as Chief Minister, said: “I want to thank the people of all communities and all the farmers, women and youth of the state for casting their votes with the majority and making this election successful….”
In Maharashtra, the Mahayuti coalition of the BJP, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party is set for another consecutive term as it is leading in 236 out of 288 seats, with the BJP registering its best-ever poll showing in the state with over 133 seats in the 288-member house. “The biggest message from Maharashtra after the Haryana polls is unity; ‘ek hain to safe hain’ has become the country’s ‘mahamantra’,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.
In Mahayuti, the BJP contested the largest number of seats at 148, followed by the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at 80, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at 52.The contest was bipolar in Maharashtra. The Mahayuti alliance contested to retain power, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) aimed to wrest control from the ruling alliance in the state. Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar lost their party’s name and symbol to mutinies led by their trusted ones. The two leaders fought this election as a prestige fight. Their big defeat now raises a question mark on their political future.
The Opposition has a reason to smile in Jharkhand though. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance has won 57 seats in the 81-member Assembly, bettering its 2019 score.
The NDA, which fought the election on an “anti-infiltration” plank and showcased the Centre’s schemes in its campaign, has won 23 seats this time.
The votes for 48 assembly and two Lok Sabha bypolls across states were also counted. In Kerala’s Wayanad, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won the Lok Sabha bypoll with a thumping margin of over four lakh votes, surpassing her brother Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin in the Lok Sabha polls, in her electoral debut.
Maharashtra voted for 288 seats in a single phase on November 20. The 81 seats in Jharkhand voted in two phases – November 13 and 20.
‘Jai Maharashtra’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s massive victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls as a win for development and good governance, assuring people of the ruling bloc’s continued work for the state’s progress.
In posts on X, he also congratulated the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance for its win in Jharkhand, while stressing that his party will always be at the forefront to champion people’s issues. He tagged Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who led the INDIA bloc coalition in the state, in his post.
“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,” Modi said.
“Jai Maharashtra,” he added.
Modi said the NDA’s pro-people efforts have resonated all over.
“I thank people across various states for blessing NDA candidates in the various by-polls held. We will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling their dreams and aspirations,” he said.
Modi also said he was proud of NDA workers for their efforts on the ground.
“They worked hard, went among people and elaborated on our good governance agenda… I thank the people of Jharkhand for their support towards us. We will always be at the forefront of raising people’s issues and working for the state,” he said.
“After Haryana, Maharashtra has also sent a message of ‘ek hain toh safe hain’. This has becomes a ‘mahamantra for the country,” the prime minister said during his address at the BJP headquarters,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the people of Maharashtra today for what he called their “historic verdict”,, saying the mandate was a firm rejection of the negative politics of the Opposition. This not only included what BJP chief JP Nadda described as the sabotage of the second mandate, but also the talk of a second constitution and the return of Article 370, the politics of division in the name of caste and creed, he said.
Maharashtra, he said, has become the sixth state to choose the BJP for a third consecutive term, after Goa, Gujarat. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
“Every segment of the country have voted for the BJP… The Congress is unable to gauge this changed mood of the people. They don’t want to understand the reality. The voter does not want instability. The voter is with the nation first feeling,” PM Modi said, beginning a harsh takedown of the Congress.
The Congress, he said, is incapable of forming governments on its own, so it forms alliances and then lets down allies as well. “Thankfully its partners in Uttar Pradesh have been able to get rid of it (Congress). Else they too would have drowned,” PM Modi said.
Jharkhand Results Victory For Constitution: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hailed the INDIA bloc’s victory in the Jharkhand Assembly polls on Saturday as one for the protection of the Constitution as well as of water, forest and land, even as he described the Maharashtra poll results as “unexpected” and said his party will analyse the election outcome in the state in detail.
In a post in Hindi on X, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha thanked the voters of Jharkhand as well as those who voted for the INDIA opposition bloc in Maharashtra.
“Heartfelt thanks to the people of Jharkhand for giving a huge mandate to INDIA. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Chief Minister Hemant Sorenji, all the workers of the Congress and the JMM for this victory.
“This victory of the alliance in the state is a victory for the protection of water, forest and land, along with that of the Constitution,” he said.
“The results of Maharashtra are unexpected and we will analyse those in detail,” Gandhi said as he thanked the voters of the state for their support and all the party workers for their hard work.
The former Congress chief also lauded Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her victory on her poll debut from Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and said she will transform Wayanad into a beacon of progress with her dedication.
“I feel immense pride as my family in Wayanad has placed its trust in Priyanka. I know she will lead with courage, compassion and unwavering dedication to transform our cherished Wayanad into a beacon of progress and prosperity,” he said in another post on X.
Priyanka Gandhi won the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll with a huge margin on Saturday. The seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from both Rae Bareli and Wayanad in the parliamentary polls held in April-May.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asserted that his party may have lost the polls in Maharashtra but it would continue to raise the issues that it has been raising since the parliamentary polls.
“On Maharashtra, there can be no two ways about it that in a targeted manner, the level-playing field, a phrase that the Election Commission often uses, was disturbed. The election results are unexpected, very surprising and inexplicable,” Ramesh said.
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