Fadnavis reportedly deleted a social media post he had published on Wednesday, in which he mocked the Congress for drawing a blank in MLC elections across multiple states.

Following its victory in Maharashtra, the Congress took a dig at Fadnavis, claiming the result offered a glimpse of what could unfold in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP will seek a fourth consecutive term at the Centre.

Congress targets Fadnavis over deleted post

The Maharashtra Congress, in a post on its official X handle, mocked Fadnavis for deleting his earlier post and warned the BJP of a potential setback in the 2029 general elections.

"By deleting the tweet, Fadnavis has once again preserved Savarkar's legacy! Even before the full results were in hand, in a show of firing a big arrow, Fadnavis tweeted. But that very arrow turned back and pierced straight into his chest! In the end, he was forced to delete the tweet.

"Mr. Fadnavis, scared already at this stage? This is just the trailer! In 2029, the people of Maharashtra will drop such a political bombshell on you that even this tweet of today will come back to haunt you! All the best, Mr. Fadnavis! Get ready for the next jolt," the party wrote.

Congress retains Nagpur MLC seat

In Nagpur, Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari was declared the winner on Thursday after the counting process continued for around 40 hours.

Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes to retain the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency seat.

The contest was considered a prestige battle for Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who had invested heavily in the campaign in their home turf.

Gadkari had represented the constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Council for 24 years, from July 1990 to May 2014.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won three seats in the MLC polls, including the Congress victory in Nagpur, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance secured two seats.

Rohit Pawar takes a dig at Fadnavis

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar also criticised Fadnavis over the Nagpur result and his deleted social media post.

In a post on X, Pawar wrote, "In the Nagpur Graduates Constituency, where you yourself took personal interest and went door-to-door to persuade the rebels to withdraw, in that very Nagpur constituency, in the area where the RSS headquarters is located, the BJP had to face defeat—the meaning of this is clear……

"It is indeed regrettable that you had to delete your tweet; but the immense ego of power evident in your deleted tweet is not good at all. Anyway, I can understand. Perhaps you forgot that the election was held via ballot, so the tweet might have been made prematurely…"

Modi mocks Congress over MLC performance

The Congress' counterattack came a day after Modi took a swipe at the party over its performance in MLC elections across several states, including Congress-ruled Karnataka.

Modi used a monocle emoji in his social media post to add an ironic edge to his remarks, drawing attention to the Congress' electoral setbacks.

He also highlighted that the elections were conducted using ballot papers, against the backdrop of the Opposition's repeated criticism of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Screen-grab/PM Modi X handle