'No point staying together if ...': Uddhav Thackeray slams MVA over election missteps

Thackeray further criticised the flood of populist promises made during the campaign, suggesting they backfired and weakened the MVA’s position.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) performance in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections, warning that repeating past mistakes, such as delays in seat-sharing and candidate selection,n renders the alliance purposeless.

In a candid interview with Saamana, the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece, Thackeray blamed internal squabbles and ego clashes among MVA partners, Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), and Sena (UBT), for the alliance’s dismal show, despite a strong performance in the Lok Sabha elections just five months earlier.

“The euphoria after the Lok Sabha polls turned into a race for individual party gains during the assembly elections,” he says, further adding that such an attitude led to confusion, weak messaging, and ultimately, electoral defeat.

Thackeray also points to the chaotic last-minute seat-sharing negotiations, stating, “The parleys dragged on till the last minute. The squabbling sent the wrong message to voters.”

He also recalled that candidates were not finalised in several constituencies until the eleventh hour, forcing Sena (UBT) to give up long-held seats to its MVA allies during the Lok Sabha elections.

"It was a mistake that has to be rectified. There is no point staying together if such mistakes are to be made in the future," Thackeray said pointedly.

He further criticised the flood of populist promises made during the campaign, suggesting they backfired and weakened the MVA’s position.

Thackeray also raised concerns over alleged electoral irregularities, including what he referred to as an “EVM scam,” bogus voter lists, and suspicious increases in voter counts. He said schemes like “Ladki Bahin” were used to mislead voters, but insisted it was important to acknowledge the alliance’s own mistakes rather than deflect blame.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. However, the tide turned in the state assembly elections, where the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, won a landslide victory, securing a combined 230 out of 288 seats.

Among the opposition, Sena (UBT) secured only 20 seats, NCP (SP) 16, and Congress 10. On the other hand, the BJP won 132 seats, Shinde’s Shiv Sena 57, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP 41.