2 weeks Ago By TOI News Desk
MVA need not fret over poll defeat; people not enthused by Mahayuti victory: Pawar NEW DELHI: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar addressed the opposition's significant defeat in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections on Saturday and urged Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance colleagues to engage with public, who he said appear indifferent to the BJP-led Mahayuti's substantial victory. Pawar said that it is the opposition's duty to hold the ruling alliance accountable for its campaign promises. This includes the promised increase in financial aid for women under the Ladki Bahin scheme from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100.
Expressing concern over the election outcome, Pawar said, "It is true that we have been defeated. We should not fret over it but go back to the people, as no enthusiasm is visible among the people about the election results. There is a lot of resentment.
" The ruling BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena alliance secured 230 of the 288 assembly seats in the November 20 elections. While acknowledging the opposition's limited representation in the assembly, Pawar expressed confidence in the potential of its younger members. On Samajwadi Party's withdrawal from MVA, Pawar downplayed the situation, citing the central leadership's commitment to opposition unity.
He also conceded that the opposition lacked the necessary numbers to demand a leader of the opposition. Regarding the incident involving Rs 500 notes found in the Rajya Sabha, Pawar called for an investigation. He also pointed out the disparity between votes received and seats won by various parties in the assembly elections.
"Congress polled 80 lakh votes and won 15 seats while Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena bagged 79 lakh votes and emerged victorious on 57 seats," he said. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis responded to Pawar's comments on social media. "You will come out of this if you accept defeat.
I expect you to give your colleagues advice on introspection," he stated on X. Fadnavis also presented a comparative analysis of vote share and seat distribution from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He noted BJP's nine seats with over 14.
9 crore votes, Congress's 13 seats with over 9.6 crore votes, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s seven seats with over 7.3 crore votes, and NCP (SP)'s eight seats with over 5.
8 crore votes. He also cited the 2019 results where Congress secured one seat despite over 8.7 crore votes, and the undivided NCP won four seats with over 8.
3 crore votes. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
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