Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday that several loyal voters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena and Congress Party were on holiday during the Lok Sabha polls and that he expected his parties to win more than 400 seats in the 543-seat House.
“We were caught off guard by the opposition in the Lok Sabha elections. Some voters went on holiday during the polls thinking that the NDA would easily win more than 400 seats in the general elections. This defeat highlights the need for a more strategic approach going forward,” Shinde said at a joint rally of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Mumbai.
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The prime minister claimed that opposition voters exercised their franchise enthusiastically with a voter turnout of around 80 per cent, according to PTI.
“If 60 per cent of voters had turned up at the polls, we could have easily won 40 seats. We cannot afford to be complacent or callous after such a crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections,” he added.
BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported Shinde’s allegations and said NDA leaders had not paid due attention to the lies spread by the Opposition during the elections.
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Maharashtra has 48 members in the Lok Sabha. In the recent general elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comprising the Indian National Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) won 30 seats.
While the BJP’s total number of seats fell to nine, Shinde-led ally Shiv Sena won seven seats and Ajit Pawar-led NCP managed to win just one seat.
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The results of India’s Lok Sabha election have bolstered support for the MVA ahead of crucial state elections due later this year.
During the meeting, Fadnavis pointed out that alliance leaders were issuing statements accusing each other. “Some party leaders feel the urge to issue statements. My suggestion to them is to first talk to the leaders and take their permission before opening their mouths,” he said.
(with PTI input)
