Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has blamed the BJP's call for '400 paar [400+ seats]' for the loss of seats by the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the state in the recently concluded elections. He said the Opposition had successfully weaponised the '400 paar' slogan and turned it against the BJP and its allies.
Speaking about the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said: "They took more decisions in 10 years than the previous governments in 50-60 years. But they went in vain as we suffered losses, even in Maharashtra. The Opposition claimed that the Constitution would be changed and reservations would be scrapped. Nothing of the sort would happen. But the Opposition clung to the '400 paar' slogan and attacked us. That slogan hurt us."
"They spread rumours against us, which cost us some seats. But PM Modi has dedicated his life to the nation. He has never taken a single day's leave in 10 years," Shinde further said.
The combined strength of the BJP, the Shiv Sena, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), managed to win just 17 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP lost massive ground as it was reduced to just 9 seats from the 23 it won in 2019.
The INDIA bloc, composed of the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) won 30 seats. The Congress won 13 seats, Shiv Sena 9, and NCP 8.
Earlier, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP had admitted that the Opposition's charge of the NDA needing '400 seats to change the Constitution' had proven costly for the Narendra Modi-led alliance.
Shinde's Support For Maharashtra Farmers
Shinde said that his government would work for the farmers in the state. He said, "As a farmer's son, I am always at the forefront of dealing with farmers' issues... The government has decided to provide subsidy for bamboo cultivation in the state." Earlier, a meeting of the Central Agricultural Price and Value Commission was held in the presence of Eknath Shinde to fix the minimum support price for agricultural crops.
He said soybean and cotton farmers in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions were facing problems. "I made provisions for them but could not announce them due to the code of conduct... No one can be happy if farmers are unhappy. That is why our government is doing everything for the farmers," Shinde said. He also assured the farmers of the state to take up their issues with Union Agriculture Minister. Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been allotted the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet.