A senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader criticised Congress, the party's alliance partner in Maharashtra, for its "overconfidence" and "attitude" during seat-sharing talks, which, he said, negatively impacted the prospects of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bloc in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, as reported by NDTV.
The BJP-led Mahayuti secured a decisive win, claiming 230 of the 288 Assembly seats, while the MVA alliance of Congress, Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction and the Uddhav Thackeray camp of Shiv Sena won 46 seats.
Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, stated that the MVA should have projected Uddhav Thackeray as its chief ministerial candidate. He also subtly criticised Congress, mentioning that they were "ready with their suit and tie even before the results."
Danve remarked that after the Lok Sabha election results, Congress became overconfident in Maharashtra, much like in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, and that this attitude was reflected in the election outcome. He added that Congress's approach during seat-sharing talks harmed the MVA's prospects. According to an NDTV report, Danve believed that projecting Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Ministerial candidate would have changed the results.
The Congress had performed strongly in the previous Lok Sabha elections, securing 13 seats, the highest among the MVA allies. This success prompted Congress to push for a larger share of seats during the state election talks, leading to reported tensions within the alliance. Despite fielding candidates in 103 constituencies, the party only managed to secure 16 seats. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 89 seats, winning 20, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, contested 87 seats and won 10.
Danve, without naming any specific party, also hinted that certain candidates within the Shiv Sena (UBT) had raised concerns about the organisational structure. He added that the party would focus on strengthening itself with the aim of eventually contesting all 288 seats in Maharashtra.
