Denying the rumours
Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena has firmly denied the rumours of him leaving the INDIA alliance and rejoining the NDA. The party has performed well by winning nine out of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, boosting their morale. In contrast, the Eknath Shinde party has secured only seven seats.
Clarification from Priyanka Chaturvedi
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi addressed the rumours on social media. She criticized journalists who spread false information about her party leaving the INDIA alliance. Using a popular meme, she assured supporters that the Shiv Sena (UBT) would not return to the NDA.
2019 Elections and Alliance Breakup
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena contested together, winning 41 seats in total. The BJP got 23 seats, while Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena won 18. However, the alliance broke down over disagreements about the chief minister’s post following the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi
After the split, Uddhav Thackeray formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi with the NCP and Congress, and he became the chief minister. This coalition faced challenges when Eknath Shinde, supported by the BJP, split the Shiv Sena and rejoined the NDA. This led to Uddhav Thackeray stepping down as chief minister, with Eknath Shinde taking over the position, supported by BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as deputy chief minister.
Split in NCP
Sharad Pawar’s NCP also faced a split, with Ajit Pawar joining the Shinde faction as the second deputy chief minister. This further complicated the political landscape in Maharashtra.
2024 Lok Sabha Election: Competing Factions
The 2024 Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra was highly unusual, featuring two Shiv Sena factions and two NCP factions. The Shinde-Ajit Pawar groups, supported by the BJP, competed against the Thackeray-Sharad Pawar factions, allied with Congress.
Election Results
The Mahayuti alliance, which included the Sena-BJP-NCP members, had expected to win a majority. However, the BJP’s seats dropped from 23 to nine. Shinde’s faction won seven seats, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed only one. On the other hand, the Congress-Shiv Sena -NCP (Sharad Pawar) together won 30 out of 48 seats. The Congress emerged as the largest party with 13 seats, followed by Team Uddhav with nine, and Sharad Pawar’s faction with eight.
Despite all the rumours, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena remains committed to the INDIA alliance.
-Prisha Jaiswal