Mumbai: Notwithstanding the claims by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine of grabbing over 240 seats, the state Opposition succeeded in arresting them to around 160 seats as the final trends and initial results trickled out on Thursday.
The Opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party appeared all set to touch a 100-seat tally against the BJP-Sena count of 160 seats in the 288-member assembly.
The remaining seats were being conquered by independents and smaller parties – a situation with serious ramifications on the emerging political permutations and combinations.
NCP President Sharad Pawar ominously declared that “defectors have been rejected by the people” and gave full credit to the undying efforts of NCP and ally Congress activists for the good results, far from the predictions of various exit polls three days ago.
Going in for the kill, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut firmly demanded a 50:50 power sharing formula, throwing a fresh scare in the ally BJP this afternoon.
Several prominent heavyweights from the BJP, notably Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde in Parli (Beed) assembly seat and Satara Lok Sabha bypoll candidate Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, bit the dust on their home turfs.
Both were vanquished by rival Nationalist Congress Party’s Dhananjay Munde and Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil, respectively, stunning the BJP. Incidentally, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and BJP President Amit Shah had campaigned for Munde.
Among prominent losers in Sena is its Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar in Bandra East – the home constituency of the First Family of Mumbai, the Thackerays, and the high-profile ‘encounter cop’ Pradeep H. Sharma in Nala Sopara (Palghar) trounced by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi’s Kshitij H. Thakur.
A senior Sena leader hinted that subject to the final outcome of the results, its understanding with the ally BJP “could be reviewed” amidst newly available political options before Uddhav Thackeray.
Against this backdrop, the role of independents and smaller parties could be of significance as in many constituencies, they are on way to trouncing the ruling combine candidates.-IANS news
