'You have to work under Devendra Fadnavis': Uddhav Thackeray tells Eknath Shinde

On being asked if this result has decided who represents the 'real' Shiv Sena, Thackeray told reporters: "You have to work under (Devendra) Fadnavis. First, figure out which bungalow you will get."

Maharashtra's ruling coalition, Mahayuti, on Saturday turned the tide by securing a strong mandate in the Assembly elections months after facing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the alliance managed to win only 17 of the state’s 48 seats.

The alliance headed by Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, BJP led by Devendra Fadnavis and NCP’s Ajit Pawar has returned to power with a thumping majority.

During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won nine seats, Shiv Sena secured seven, and NCP won just one seat. These results covered 125 Assembly segments, falling short of the 145-majority mark.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also referred to the ongoing legal battle over which faction has claim to the Sena's symbol and name and lamented that the case had not concluded yet.

On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) secured 30 Lok Sabha seats—13 by the Congress, nine by Shiv Sena (led by Uddhav Thackeray), and eight by Sharad Pawar’s NCP—spanning 153 Assembly segments.

The striking contrast in performance between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections is notable.

However, these Lok Sabha trends shifted significantly in the Assembly elections.

The BJP emerged with the highest strike rate, securing 132 seats compared to 105 in 2019—a significant improvement.

This performance is being viewed as Mahayuti’s resurgence in Maharashtra following the Lok Sabha setback.

The Shiv Sena won 55 Assembly seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP claimed victory in 41 constituencies.

This time, the Mahayuti retained all but eight of the 125 Assembly segments it had won during the Lok Sabha polls.

The result, however, has raised a big question of whether Eknath Shinde will remain Chief Minister.

When he joined hands with the BJP after the 2022 mutiny, he toppled the Uddhav Thackeray government, and became the Chief Minister despite the BJP being the bigger party in the coalition.

Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis agreed to accept the Deputy Chief Minister post then.

The MVA managed to win seven of these, while independents took one.

So far, the MVA has won 56 Assembly seats, including those secured by allies like the Samajwadi Party (SP), CPI(M), and PWP.

However, only 10 of these victories come from regions where the MVA had faltered during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The MVA struggled to retain its strongholds from the Lok Sabha elections, while the ruling Mahayuti’s campaign strategies resonated strongly, enabling it to capture those segments.

Criticizing the INDIA bloc for its disappointing performance in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked, "They fail to grasp the shifting sentiment of the nation. Not only do they refuse to accept the reality, but they continue to underestimate the wisdom of India's common voters. The electorate stands firmly with the principle of 'Nation First' and has little regard for those fixated on 'chair first' ambitions."