The BJP has accused its ally Shiv Sena of undermining the Mahayuti alliance after the ruling coalition won only two of the five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats that went to polls on October 23, with party leaders calling for an introspection into the results.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won three of the five graduates' and teachers' constituencies, while the BJP-led Mahayuti secured the remaining two, exposing differences within the ruling alliance.
Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban alleged that the Shiv Sena failed to fulfil its alliance obligations in the Pune and Nagpur constituencies. He also accused the party of damaging the alliance's unity by extending last-minute support to independent candidate Sachin Sanap in the Pune teachers' constituency.
Ban further alleged that Shiv Sena minister Abdul Sattar campaigned against the NCP in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar constituency, contributing to the Mahayuti's setbacks.
The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP.
In a post on X, Ban said the Shiv Sena's backing of Sanap did not translate into votes for the BJP in the Pune graduates' constituency.
He claimed the alliance could have won all five seats had the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, supported the BJP and the NCP.
“By pursuing one seat in Pune, the Shiv Sena put its allies in difficulty and cost the alliance an opportunity to win three seats,” Ban said, adding that such a stand was not in the Mahayuti's interest.
Maharashtra BJP vice-president Keshav Upadhye also called for a review of the results, questioning why the ruling alliance managed to win only two seats despite the possibility of a clean sweep.
“Will we introspect as the Mahayuti after the results of the five seats? Will we consider why we stopped at two when there was a strong possibility of winning all five seats had we contested together?” Upadhye asked in a post on X.
Among the winners, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav secured the Pune graduates' constituency, while Congress nominee Abhijeet Wanjari won the Nagpur graduates' seat. An NCP (SP) candidate emerged victorious in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar graduates' constituency.
BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune teachers' constituency, while Shiv Sena nominee Kiran Sarnaik secured the Amravati teachers' seat.
(With inputs from PTI)