New Delhi: The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, following a disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha elections in the state earlier this year, secured a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections. Here are the top four leaders who played a key role in this major success-
Devendra Fadnavis
Following the Mahayuti alliance’s landslide victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls, Devendra Fadnavis, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, delivered a pointed message to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on social media platform ‘X’ and wrote, “Ek hai to safe hai (United we are safe). Modi hai to mumkin hai (Modi makes it possible).” Despite facing setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP secured just 9 out of 28 seats in Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis had to face the brunt of the party’s loss but his strong comeback in the state is likely to tighten up his guard both at the national and the central level. His continuous efforts in reigniting the spark in the alliance post the Lok Sabha defeat and his consistent calls for mobilisation of Hindus played a huge role behind the triumph.
Eknath Shinde
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde not only won the factional battle against Uddhav Thackeray, but also solidified his hold over the Shiv Sena’s traditional voter base. The results of the Maharashtra Assembly Election have shown who is the real boss of Shiv Sena.
Ajit Pawar
Ajit Pawar who fractured the real NCP last year and gave a massive jolt to his uncle Sharad Pawar by joining the BJP-Shiv Sena government last year, has proved to be a key leader in the alliance.
He was often being taunted as the weakest link within the alliance after securing just a single win in the Lok Sabha elections, but not only he secured a massive victory in his constituency Baramati for the eighth time, but also sealed the debate over the real NCP.
Chandrashekhar Bawankule
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule will retain Kamthi, a BJP stronghold, securing his fourth term as MLA. He played a key role in aligning state leadership and keeping the unit intact.
Former Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dr Dinesh Sharma, said, “Chandrashekhar Bawankule and I travelled the whole of Maharashtra before and after Lok Sabha elections. We along with our ground leaders created a roadmap for Mahayuti’s win in Assembly elections. There were reports about lack of coordination and trust between Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, but it all got settled.”
Praising Shinde for his cooperation, his management both within his party and within the alliance, Sharma added, “Eknath Shinde is an extremely calming administrator. He is a patient listener and is quite accessible. He knows how to deal with the crisis and his administrative skills are quite unique.”
“Under the vision of PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, leadership of Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra, well-managed machinery of BJP, and with the cooperation of our allies, Mahayuti won this election”, he added.