NEW DELHI: A spectacular victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections has elevated the BJP morale that plummeted after the parliamentary polls a few months ago. The verdict is seen not only as a significant milestone in the state’s political landscape but also as a powerful advantage to the party in national politics.
With a strike rate of almost 89%, the BJP has reinforced the impression that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charm remains intact. Equally strong is the belief in political circles that victories can be scored through sharp, dexterous moves characterised by the party’s chief strategist, Amit Shah, in conjunction with the state’s Deputy CM, Devendra Fadnavis.
“Maharashtra has brilliantly delivered a message, especially to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who continues to fan a fake narrative on caste census as part of his national politics,” Vinod Tawde, the party general secretary and a prominent state leader, told this newspaper. “Rahul’s divisive political agenda has been rejected in Maharashtra. This, in fact, reflects nationwide perception about Rahul’s fake narrative on caste census,” said Tawde.
The Maharashtra verdict, he said, has proved yet again that under PM Modi leadership, only politics of progress and development can change things, not fake narratives. “People want a kind of politics that can add to their prosperity not a division on the basis of castes,” he said in an apparent reference to Rahul’s persistent demand for a caste census.
“The results also show that the Maharashtra poll outcome will impact national politics too,” said Tawde. An exuberant state party leader said the results would continue to resonate until 2029.
Senior member of the India Institute of Public Administration Dr RK Verma told this newspaper that the results have bolstered the position of the BJP within Maharashtra and outside. “The results’ main impact is that Modi’s leadership remains unchallenged in the NDA as well as within BJP,” says Verma.
Regionally, the BJP-led MahaYuti has broadened its base in the state, indicating the party’s growing influence over key regional players. “For the party, it serves as a clear message of its national dominance and overwhelming significance of PM Modi,” said Dr Nikhil Anand, national general secretary of BJP’s OBC Morcha.
“With Maharashtra being one of the largest states in the country, its support is crucial for the party’s quest to retain power at the Centre in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” said
a senior party leader, adding that the MahaYuti performance reaffirms the BJP’s ability to forge effective alliances and win over voters across various sections.
