Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s offer to resign over the BJP’s performance in the state is just a ruse to bring pressure on Yogi Adityanath, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut told NDTV today. He also claimed that the days of the new NDA government will be numbered. “Let Narendra Modi take oath, we will suggest the sweets (to be distributed). This government will not last long,” he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
“Fadnavis’ offer to resign is a step to put pressure on Yogi. If the BJP is defeated in Maharashtra under Fadnavis’ leadership, then in Uttar Pradesh it is defeated under Yogi’s leadership. That is why Fadnavis is talking about resignation,” Mr Raut told NDTV, reiterating the demand that PM Modi should resign, taking responsibility for the BJP results.
The BJP performance in Maharashtra has taken a huge hit after the political turmoil the state has seen. The verdict was firmly in favour of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar — whose parties were split, their names and poll symbols given to the rebels who joined the BJP’s alliance government in the state.
The BJP, who Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said had helped chalk out the split plan, also did not escape unscathed.
In 2019, the BJP – allied with the undivided Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray – won 23 of 25 Lok Sabha seats it contested in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena contested the other 23 and won 18. This time, the BJP won just nine seats. Its allies — the splinter units of the Sena led by Eknath Shinde and NCP led by Ajit Pawar — won eight of the 19 seats they fought.
But seen in terms of scale, the rampage in Yogi Adityanath’s Uttar Pradesh was much worse. The setback in the 80-seat state ensured that the BJP was not able to achieve majority on its own — something they managed in 2014 and 2019.
This time, the BJP could only win 33 seats in the state — down from its 2019 score of 63 seats. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party won 37 seats and its ally Congress six.
It is seen as a huge setback for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The outlook gets worse once the BJP sweep in the neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are considered.
The BJP has suffered huge losses in eastern Uttar Pradesh, seen as an area of influence of Yogi Adityanath. His stronghold Gorakhpur is located in the east. The party also lost Faizabad, the seat Ayodhya comes under, despite the huge Ram temple initiative.
