Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the victory of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra is the beginning and not the end, and expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will win the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
Thackeray, whose party is a constituent of the MVA, was addressing a joint press conference of the MVA members in south Mumbai, where NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan also spoke.
The three parties also held a preliminary meeting for the state assembly polls scheduled later this year. Thackeray said people of the state showed how hollow the myth of Bharatiya Janata Party's invincibility is. "Lok Sabha poll victory for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not the end, it is the beginning," the former chief minister said.
Congress leader Chavan said after the Lok Sabha poll results, change of government was imminent in Maharashtra. Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Pawar said, "We thank PM Narendra Modi for making the political atmosphere conducive for the MVA."
In the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 13 seats, a quantum jump from the solitary seat it won in the state in 2019, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged nine and the NCP (SP) eight. In the seat-sharing deal for the general elections, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party had got the largest share of seats among the three parties. Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats, the Sena (UBT) contested 21 seats, followed by Congress at 17 and NCP (SP) at 10.
In comparison, the ruling Mahayuti could bag just 17 seats, with the BJP's seat tally coming drastically down to nine from the 23 (it won in 2019). The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won seven, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP could get just one seat.
Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar also said there was no question of taking back those leaders who had deserted the two parties.
The Shiv Sena split in June 2022 after a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who went on to become Maharashtra chief minister, while the Nationalist Congress Party broke into two factions after Ajit Pawar joined the state government along with eight MLAs in July last year.
Following a stellar performance by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP (SP) and the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, there is speculation about some leaders from rival factions wanting to return.
During the first press conference of the MVA after Lok Sabha results were announced on June 4, both Thackeray and Sharad Pawar categorically said "there is no question of taking rebel leaders back".
In the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, Parner MLA Nilesh Lanke had switched from the Ajit Pawar faction to the one headed by Sharad Pawar and won from Ahmednagar defeating sitting BJP MP Sujay Vikhe Patil.
Similarly, Bajrang Sonawane also left the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and contested the Lok Sabha polls from Beed on an NCP (SP) ticket. He defeated former state minister and senior BJP leader Pankaja Munde.
On the other hand, the BJP's tally in the state came down from 23 in the 2019 general elections to nine this time, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP had to be contend with seven and one wins, respectively.
In Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress led with 13 wins, followed by nine for the Shiv Sena (UBT) and eight for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).
There is reportedly discomfort within the NCP and the Shiv Sena, allies of the ruling BJP, after the swearing in of the Narendra Modi government on June 9.
The Ajit Pawar faction was asked to make do with one berth of minister of state with independent charge, which it refused, while only Buldhana MP Prataprao Jadhav of the Shinde-led Sena was included in the Union government as minister of state (independent charge) though the party has seven MPs.
 "Uddhav")
