As celebrations erupt at Sena Bhavan, there is some jubilation in the Sena (Shinde) camp, too, owing to the party bagging six seats
Illustration/Uday Mohite
At the BJP headquarters in Mumbai, the atmosphere remained that of uncertainty till the early evening hours as the party couldn’t achieve a majority on its own. The karaykartas and office bearers were closely watching the election results, waiting for their time to celebrate as the NDA tally stood at about 293.
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The margins were close on crucial seats like that of North Central where BJP had pitched Ujjwal Nikam against Congress candidate Varsha Gaikwad. By afternoon, rumours of a split in the NDA with Nitish Kumar or Chandrababu Naidu had appeared in the media.
A sombre mood prevailed at the BJP headquarters in Mumbai owing to the party’s below par performance. Pics/Eshan Kalyanikar
“There is no question of someone breaking away. We are winning. In Maharashtra it turned out to be a different story and a matter of introspection,” said Vishwas Pathak, BJP spokesperson.
He added that the alliance with the NCP (Ajit Pawar) would also be a matter of introspection. “But we do not believe in breaking away with anyone for the Assembly elections.”
For BJP karaykartas, the contradiction between the slogans of 400 plus seats and the results had created a sense of disillusionment.
“On the ground, most karyakartas believed the BJP would get 400 plus seats without much effort,” said Hitesh Umberkar, a BJP karaykarta from Mumbai South.
Umberkar has been with the party for 15 years, prior to which he was with the RSS. “They should not have neglected RSS. That backfired, too,” he said.
A deserted Maharasthra BJP office at Nariman Point on counting day on Tuesday. Pic/Ashish Raje
In Mumbai North East, where Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Dina Patil was leading till the evening, 63-year-old BJP karyakarta Darshana Desai had campaigned door-to-door for his opponent Mihir Kotecha. “We were expecting him to win but Dina Patil held strong influence amongst Marathi voters. It is the Muslim votes and Marathi votes that worked in his favour.” Desai is confident of a Modi Sarkar. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (Shinde) Masjid Bandar karyakarta Rahul Mhaske said, “Many workers will think of changing sides after this result but we don’t know if our shakha pramukh will shift or if they will be accepted.”
Speaking to mid-day at the head office, BJP state general secretary Sanjay Kinekar said, “We let our allies have a free hand on their seats. They miscalculated it and that led to a loss for BJP.”
Shiv Sainiks (Shinde faction) celebrating at the party office in Nariman Point. Pic/Eshan Kalyanikar
At the Shinde Sena headquarters at Nariman Point, firecrackers were set off by noon as the party was leading on six seats. “In Mumbai, it was a combination of Muslim votes and Marathi votes that worked for UBT. This doesn’t mean people rejected our Sena,” said Ashish Desai, the Lok Sabha observer in the Bhandara-Gondia constituency.
Meanwhile, at the Sena Bhavan it was a mood of celebration. South Central candidate Anil Desai was a clear winner against his opponent Rahul Shewale, whose victory was celebrated at the Sena headquarters. Desai, coloured in gulal, was taken in a car decorated with flowers across the South Central constituency.
“This has shown people the real Shiv Sena. At some places, it is the Modi factor and the influence of the candidate in that constituency that worked for them. Look at how close the battle is between Waikar and Kirtikar,” said Sena (UBT) Suprabhat Phatarpekar.
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