The BJP's debacle in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls is likely to raise a question mark on the state leadership which was confident of the party's higher striking rate in 2024. Of the total 28 seats BJP, contested it managed to win only ten seats. The BJP believed it would be able to hold its turf. And any shortfall will be because of its alliance partners Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). This comes as a major setback to the party as state elections are due in the next five months. The results belied their optimism as BJP had to struggle to meet the double digit figures in terms of number of seats won. The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has performed better by winning seven out of total 15 seats contested. However, the NCP led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar could hold just one seat seat Raigad. While BJP fought the elections on the Hindutva plank and Modi wave, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was steering the poll campaign in the state. With 116 rallies held across the state, Fadnavis was expected would be able to retain the BJP's tally of 23 seats out of 28. In a candid admission, BJP strategists said, “ We are in a state of shock. Although we had realised we were not going to achieve our Mission Maharashtra 45 plus, we were expecting the party to retain 23 seats.” Insiders indicated the party will have to seriously identify it's faultlines and take course correction on many fronts. Insiders in the party revealed, “Maharashtra was in a mess from the beginning post 2019 polls.” The party's failure to retain its 25 years old alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena proved fatal. While giving CM post to Shinde on platter for breaking Shiv Sena may have got them in power, undermining the leadership of Fadnavis who was forced to accept the deputy CM post did not go well within the organisation. The power tussle within the alliance partners had its impact on the morale of the cadre. Secondly, central leadership's over ambition to sweep polls lead to a split in NCP which the BJP cadre could not reconcile. Another factor where state leadership will be held accountable is its failure to tackle the unrest arising due to reservation politics that pitted Marathas versus OBCs. The politics of vendetta targeted against opposition leaders also adversely hit the BJPs image. BJP which claimed to be a party with difference was reaching out to leaders whom it once attacked for corruption.
