The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena on Thursday dismissed rumours about rejoining the NDA. Several media reports emerged after Uddhav remained absent from the I.N.D.I.A bloc's meeting on Wednesday, however, party leaders Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant represented Shiv Sena (UBT) at the gathering held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence.
Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the second-largest party in Maharashtra, securing nine seats, whereas, the Eknath Shinde faction managed to win only seven.
Responding to the reports, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi mocked journalists allegedly supporting the BJP, posting on X, "The life of a godi 'patrakaar'. Begin: BJP will win a big mandate with a massive majority in 2019. Middle: oh look! We are thrilled because exit polls prove our godi 'patrakarita' with 'Modi chashma' right. End: No majority? So what we will spread new rumours that ShivSena UBT will be back in NDA. Hail Modi. Moye Moye. Ye na hoye. You can roye roye."
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Earlier in the day, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar, an ally in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, also refuted rumours of Uddhav Thackeray joining NDA. Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil stated, "There is no chance that he will switch sides".
The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, won 17 seats. Uddhav Thackeray remarked, "The elections have shown that the BJP can be defeated. The myth (that it cannot be defeated) has been broken."
In the 2019 elections in Maharashtra, the BJP won 23 seats while its then ally, the undivided Shiv Sena, bagged 18. The undivided NCP secured four constituencies, and the Congress won just one seat.
The recent Lok Sabha success has strengthened the Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections scheduled for October this year.