Sena vs Sena, Pawar vs Pawar: Maharashtra deals regional satraps a rude reality check

The defeat in the Maharashtra election results leaves Uddhav Thackeray (L) and Sharad Pawar's political future in doldrums. (File Photo: PTI)

The Assembly elections in Maharashtra, that came after a tumultuous five years that saw some tectonic shifts in its political landscape, have delivered a rude shock to the Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially to senior regional leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.

The Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, which managed to ride on a sympathy wave in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, saw a complete reversal of fortunes as the results for the Assembly elections unfolded.

The fate of both parties have been intertwined in many ways. NCP and Shiv Sena witnessed splits in the span of a year that saw a majority of their MLAs and MPs walk over to the NDA and join the Mahayuti government. Earlier this year, both parties rode on the sympathy factor to limit the BJP-led Mahayuti to 17 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats. Less than six months down the line, the NCP(SP) as well as the Shiv Sena (UBT) stare at a highly uncertain future.

“The elections in Maharashtra have proven that the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena is the true claimant to the legacy to Balasaheb Thackeray and has also given legitimacy to the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP,” BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said after the results were declared.

The BJP has registered its best figures ever in the state, powering the Mahayuti to the best tally any pre-poll alliance has won in the state since 1972. As per the results and trends available with the ELection Commission of India as of 3.17 PM on Saturday, the BJP was leading in 134 seats, the Shiv Sena in 51 seats and the NCP in 38 seats.

In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s tally stood at a cumulative 55 with the Shiv Sena’s (UBT) leads and wins at 24 seats, Congress 15 seats and 12 seats for the NCP(SP).

Head to head, the Shiv Sena factions saw a direct contest in 51 seats. Of them, the Shinde Sena was leading in 31 seats against 19 leads for the Sena (UBT). Similarly, the two factions of the NCP saw a direct contest on 37 seats. Of them, Ajit Pawar’s NCP was ahead in 25 seats while there were only 10 seats where the Sharad Pawar faction was seen ahead.

For stalwarts like Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, the stakes could not be higher. For the NCP, the Assembly elections were seen as a battle for legitimacy among the two factions for the tag of the “real” party.

However, Ajit Pawar’s sharp comeback has left little hope for his uncle and mentor Sharad Pawar, especially after his grandnephew’s defeat to Ajit from the party’s traditional stronghold of Baramati. The developments mean that Pawar Sr may not remain the centre of Maharashtra’s politics, a position he has enjoyed over the past several decades.

For Uddhav Thackeray, the election outcome has resulted in a question of survival for his faction of the Shiv Sena, a party his father Balasaheb founded and led to become a dominant force in the Mumbai region.

The defeat means Uddhav has to let go of his dream to avenge his ouster as Chief Minister after Shinde’s rebellion, and possibly, head into a fresh struggle to contain another round of exodus following the decimation.