On Sunday, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar broke his silence after the crushing defeat of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
In a media address, Pawar admitted that the results were not as anticipated and vowed to analyze the reasons behind the loss.
He credited Mahayuti’s success to factors such as the high participation of women voters, the popularity of the “Ladki Bahin” scheme, and religious polarization. “We will study the reasons for this debacle and go to the people with a re-energized leadership,” he said.
On MVA Alliance
On rumours about a lack of coordination within the MVA alliance, he asserted that all alliance partners worked collectively during the campaign. “There was no lack of coordination anywhere. We traveled across the state and received a positive response, but the results did not match our efforts,” Pawar added.
On Ajit Pawar’s Win
Reacting to his nephew and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction winning significantly more seats, Sharad Pawar remarked, “There are no qualms about Ajit Pawar getting more seats, but everyone knows who the NCP founder is.”
When asked about the decision to field his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar against Ajit Pawar in Baramati, Sharad Pawar said, “It wasn’t a wrong decision. Someone had to contest. But there can be no comparison between Ajit and Yugendra.” Ajit Pawar retained his seat with a commanding victory, defeating Yugendra by over one lakh votes.
On EVM Tampering
Pawar also responded to questions about potential tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs), saying he would only comment if official data supported such claims. This follows remarks by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who had raised doubts over the Mahayuti’s overwhelming victory.
Despite the setback, Pawar emphasized the importance of perseverance. “The results were declared yesterday, and I am here in Karad today. Those who are demoralized would have stayed at home,” he stated.
The defeat marks a significant low point in Sharad Pawar’s political career, with his faction of the NCP securing its lowest-ever tally in a state election.The MVA, an alliance of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), managed to win only 46 seats in the 288-member assembly. In stark contrast, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, consisting of BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), secured a resounding victory with 230 seats.
The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) with 57 and NCP (Ajit Pawar) with 41. The NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar managed to win only 10 seats.
