Amid criticism from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction as a prime reason for the poor performance of the Mahayuti alliance in the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday said that BJP has not only lost in Maharashtra but also saw a decrease in its Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
“We (NCP) were given only four seats out of the 48 seats for the Lok Sabha elections. Of those four seats, two were taken away from us. So, in these two seats, Raigad and Baramati and we won 1 seat. Now, how can someone say that we fought on 48 seats, we only got 2 seats. BJP lost in other states as well, such as Uttar Pradesh. Nobody thought that BJP would get so few seats in Uttar Pradesh. So, blaming Ajit Pawar faction is not right…”
The BJP had won nine of the 29 seats it fought on, while its ‘Mahayuti’ ally, Ajit Pawar’s NCP bagged only one of the four seats it was allotted in the recently concluded parliamentary election.
Speaking about RSS criticism of Lok Sabha elections results , Bhujbal said, “RSS anger is natural and obvious. They are presenting their opinion.”
Bhujbal further said, “I know we were defeated, but Maharashtra was not the only state with such results. This has happened in other states too. Nobody had expected that the BJP would backfire in Uttar Pradesh. Ajit Pawar solely is not responsible for these defeats.”
On questions of Lok Sabha speaker candidature either from BJP or NDA alliance, Bhujbal stated, “I am neither a member of Lok Sabha nor Rajya Sabha, how can I speak about the candidature? The person belonging to that assembly will think about it.”
NCP (Ajit faction) working president Praful Patel said that the RSS article did not reflect the BJP’s position.
Talking to reporters after the Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Ajit Pawar on Thursday filed papers as an NCP candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections,Patel said that there is no resentment among the Mahayuti alliance partners.
Chhagan Bhujbal said that the party’s core group unanimously decided to nominate Sunetra Pawar for the Rajya Sabha seat.
“Several people, including me, wanted that seat but after discussions, we have decided that Sunetra Pawar should be sent to the Rajya Sabha.
I am not at all upset by this decision. This decision was made in the interest of the party,” Bhujbal told reporters in Mumbai.
Maharashtra is the second-largest state in terms of Lok Sabha constituencies with 48 seats. It went to the polls across five phases on April 19 and 26 and on May 7, 13, and 20.’
The NDA, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, won 17 seats in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. (ANI)