‘We Thank PM Modi’: Sharad Pawar’s Remark With Allies Stings BJP

Sharad Pawar took a jibe and ‘thanked’ the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance's victory in 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra.

New Delhi: After the Bharatiya Janta Party’s sabpar performance in the Maharashra Lok Sabha elections, the opposition NCP founder Sharad Pawar took a jibe and ‘thanked’ the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance's victory in 30 out of 48 seats in the state. The alliance includes Pawar's party, former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction, and the Congress. 

Intending that the BJP lost in the regions that came under Modi’s campaigning umbrella, Pawar stated, “We offer thanks to PM Narendra Modi for creating a political environment that is favorable to the MVA." 

Thackeray, Pawar, and Congress' Prithviraj Chavan held a press conference to express their gratitude to voters for the election results. 

मोदींना धन्यवाद देणं माझं कर्तव्य.. pic.twitter.com/bwYX8OsUXc — Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (@NCPspeaks) June 15, 2024

As per reports, data shows that Modi and the BJP lost 15 out of the 18 seats they heavily campaigned for. They only won in Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, and Satara. The rest, including Beed, Latur, Nashik, Mumbai North East, and Pune, were won by the MVA parties. Sharad Pawar's NCP secured eight seats, while Ajit Pawar's faction was able to secure only one. 

Ridiculing the BJP’s 2024 election slogan of ‘Abki baar 400 paar’, the NCP leader said that they (the BJP) believed at least Ayodhya would help them reach the target mark, if not all, of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. However, “Following the polls, Ram has become BJP-free," he added. 

Meanwhile, Thackeray highlighted that the election’s results quashed the 'myth’ over the BJP's ‘invincibility’. He pointed out that the government is no longer exclusively controlled by the BJP, which had overwhelming majorities in 2014 and 2019, but is now a coalition. Thackeray questioned, "It used to be the 'Modi government,' but now it's the 'NDA government.' How long will it last?" 

The remark comes as the BJP faces scrutiny for its poor performance in Maharashtra, where it dropped from 23 seats in 2019 to only nine this time.