The Maha Vikas Aghadi held a joint press conference in South Mumbai on Saturday that was attended by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan. During the press conference, Thackery stated that the victory of the MVA in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra was just the beginning and not the end, adding that they were now eyeing the Assembly elections.
During the conference, NCP SP chief "thanked" PM Modi for MVA's victory in the Lok Sabha polls, while Chavan predicted that there "will be change of power in Maharashtra".
He also expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will also win in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. In addition to the press conference, the three MVA members also held a preliminary meeting to discuss the state assembly polls in Maharashtra, slated to be held later this year, news agency PTI reported.
Thackeray stated that people of Maharashtra showed "how hollow the myth of Bharatiya Janata Party's invincibility is".
"Lok Sabha poll victory for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not the end, it is the beginning," the former chief minister stated.
'What Happened To Modi's Guarantee?': Thackeray's Jibe At PM
The Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo also expressed that the MVA was open to people who wished to join the coalition. "We will move forward with all those people who stayed with us, and struggled with us. If some people want to join us then we will see," he said.
Uddhav Thackeray also mocked BJP for its performance in the Lok Sabha polls 2024, saying: "BJP itself gave the slogan of 400. What happened to the narrative of good days, what happened to Modi's guarantee...Devendra Fadnavis told us that our government is like the three legs of a rickshaw, the condition of the BJP government at the centre is also the same."
Taking a jibe at PM Modi on forming a coalition government after BJP failed to cross the majority mark, Thackeray said: "This was a fight to save the constitution and democracy. Assembly elections are coming shortly. This government was the Modi government and now it has become the NDA government. Now it is to be seen how long this government will last."
Sharad Pawar Thanks PM Modi For MVA's LS Polls Performance
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pawar said: "We thank PM Narendra Modi for making the political atmosphere conducive for the MVA."
"Wherever the Prime Minister's roadshow and rally took place, we won. That is why I consider it my duty to thank the Prime Minister," Pawar added.
'There Will Be Change Of Power In Maharashtra': Chavan
While thanking people for casting votes for MVA, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said: "We all have come together today to thank the people of Maharashtra and to express our gratitude to everyone. The people of Maharashtra have made the MVA candidates victorious.For the first time after the results of the Lok Sabha elections, the leaders of the INDIA alliance of Maharashtra have met today. This press conference is to thank the people. We have received a good number of votes in Maharashtra. We all have come together to save democracy."
"I hope that the way people voted for us in the Lok Sabha elections, we will get the same love in the assembly elections," Chavan said, claiming that "there will be a change of power in Maharashtra".
Congress leader Chavan stated that following the Lok Sabha elections results, a change of government was imminent in Maharashtra.
MVA's Performance In Lok Sabha Elections 2024
In Lok Sabha elections 2024, the results of which were announced on June 4, the Congress, in a major improvement in its 2019 performance, won 13 seats, which was a quantum jump from the solitary seat it bagged in the previous elections.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) won nine and eight seats respectively.
As per the seat-sharing deal for the parliamentary elections, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had received the largest share of seats among the other MVA party members. Out of the total 48 seats in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 21 seats, Congress contested 17 seats, and the NCP (SP) 10.
On the other hand, the ruling Mahayuti bagged merely 17 seats, with the BJP's seat tally taking a massive hit, coming down to just nine from the 23 seats it won in the 2019 general elections. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won seven seats, while the NCP led by Ajit Pawar bagged just one seat.