A week after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a crushing defeat in the Maharashtra state elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve has attributed the loss to the Congress’s “overconfidence” and approach during seat-sharing negotiations. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a landslide victory, winning 230 of the 288 seats in the Assembly, leaving the opposition bloc in disarray.
Speaking to the media, Danve, the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said the Congress’s stellar performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where it won 13 seats—the highest among MVA allies—led to overconfidence. He criticized the party for bargaining hard during seat-sharing talks, which created friction within the alliance.
“The Congress was overconfident in Maharashtra, just like in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. This attitude during seat-sharing negotiations hurt us,” Danve said.
The Congress contested 103 seats but managed to win only 16. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which contested 89 seats, won 20, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), contesting 87 seats, secured just 10 seats.
Missed Opportunity: Projecting Uddhav Thackeray
Danve suggested that projecting Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Ministerial face could have improved MVA’s prospects. “Uddhav ji should have been projected as the Chief Minister face. Not doing so harmed our chances. The results would have been different if this was done,” he added.
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In a veiled dig at Congress, he remarked, “They were getting ready with suit and tie even before the results.”
Acknowledging organizational weaknesses, Danve revealed plans to rebuild the Shiv Sena (UBT) to the point where it could contest all 288 Assembly seats independently in the future.
Criticism of Eknath Shinde and the BJP
Danve also took aim at Eknath Shinde, the former Chief Minister whose rebellion split the Shiv Sena, aligning a faction with the BJP. He accused the BJP of exploiting leaders like Shinde. “The BJP has many Shindes in several states. They use them and throw them away,” he said.
As the BJP emerged as the dominant partner in the NDA-led Mahayuti, discussions are ongoing regarding the Chief Ministerial post. While some Sena leaders initially postured for the role, Shinde recently deferred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision.
