Maharashtra elections: Big guns fail, Congress bastion crumbles

Published On : 2024-11-24T11:47:07+0530 [ IST ] | Author : Mayur_Tembhare
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For the 140-year-old Congress Saturday marked its worst ever defeat in the state legislative assembly elections. The party contested 101 seats and won only 16 and most of its high-profile politicians were defeated by large margins.

Now the party will not even be able to claim the post of leader of the opposition.

One of the chief ministerial candidates Balasaheb Thorat had to face a humiliating defeat in his hometown of Sangamner where he had won the last seven elections.

Another chief ministerial candidate Prithviraj Chavan was defeated by a massive margin in his hometown Karad.

There were several more like Thorat and Chavan who suffered major defeats.

Some like Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole were able to prevent a defeat only by a slim margin. Patole retained his seat in the lower house of the state legislature by only a little over 200 votes

In my opinion the use of resources on an unprecedented scale and the popularity of the Ladki Bahin scheme was responsible for our debacle. We have not given up hope. We will revive the organisation at the grass-root level and hit back

All India Congress Committee general secretary Ramesh Chennithala who is in charge of the state expressed shock and surprise over the results.

It is difficult to believe that the electorate will quickly change their mood. It is quite shocking as to how our top politicians lost the elections Chennithala said.

Chennithala said that as in-charge of the state he accepted responsibility for the defeat. "I am sure the new govt will effectively implement the Ladki Bahin and other welfare

MPCC chief Patole said after a few days the MPCC would analyse the results and take corrective steps for the forthcoming elections.

Several Congress politicians said they never anticipated the Mahayuti sweep. "We were expecting to secure between 135 and 150 seats but we never thought that the Mahayuti will sweep the polls. It was unexpected.

Many Congress politicians said they could not imagine that even Amit Deshmukh could lose.

As per initial speculation Congress was expected to win in Haryana but in the last hour there was major turnaround following which the Congress lost the poll in the northern state.

Thorat accused the BJP of resorting to "divisive politics false propaganda and promotion of hatred based on caste and religion". A former Congress state unit chief Thorat said the result raised doubts in the minds of the common people.

He said the tactics employed by the BJP were unfamiliar to his constituency.

Thorat said the welfare schemes brought in by the state govt diverted people's attention from pressing issues such as jobs inflation and farmers' struggles.

Source : Reporters From Sunrise Chronicles

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