Sanjay Raut, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), alleged that the ruling Mahayuti alliance tampered with the election outcome by taking seats from the opposition when initial trends indicated a clear win for the BJP-led alliance in the state, leading in 221 seats.
The BJP is leading in 128 constituencies by itself, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is lagging far behind with leads in only 52 seats. The evolving outcomes suggest a change in Maharashtra’s political environment, though not without disagreement.
“They have done some ‘gadbad’; they have stolen some of our seats. This cannot be the public’s decision. Even the public does not agree with these results,” Raut said, questioning the validity of the trends as they indicated Shiv Sena (UBT) in the lead in only 20 seats.
Also read: Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Exit Polls 2024: BJP and Congress in a close race?
BJP leader Pravin Darekar promptly responded to Raut’s accusations, asserting that the alliance’s success is a testament to public confidence. He stressed that Maharashtra would flourish with a BJP-led government in alignment with the Centre.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla expressed a similar opinion, questioning if there was any suspicious activity occurring in Jharkhand, as data indicated the INDIA bloc in the lead in the state. Poonawalla stated that when the opposition is about to lose elections, they tend to point fingers at constitutional institutions.
“Sanjay Raut is considered mentally bankrupt and is not taken seriously by anyone in Maharashtra. Frequently, he is referred to as a clown, and currently he is speaking in a clownish manner. The outcomes are positive in Wayanad, INDIA alliance is confident in winning in Jharkhand, EVM is working properly there, and EVM worked well in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Current trends indicate that the INDIA bloc is ahead in 51 seats, while the NDA is in the lead in 29 seats in the state.
