Ladki Bahin scheme, religious polarisation played role: Sharad Pawar on Mahayuti victory
Speaking at Karad in Satara district, the veteran leader acknowledged that the results—declared on Saturday—were far from what he had anticipated
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday attributed the Mahayuti alliance’s sweeping victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections to factors like the Ladki Bahin scheme, significant voter turnout among women, and religious polarisation.
Speaking at Karad in Satara district, the veteran leader acknowledged that the results—declared on Saturday—were far from what he had anticipated. Pawar’s NCP (SP) won 10 of the 87 seats it contested, garnering around 11 per cent votes across the state.
Marking his first reaction since the assembly poll outcome, Pawar assured that efforts will be made to revitalise NCP (SP) after its severe electoral defeat.
Dismissing the question about his retirement from active politics, Pawar said that such decisions would be taken collectively with his party colleagues.
Though Sharad Pawar recognised the performance of NCP faction headed by nephew Ajit Pawar in the 2024 state polls, he said,
“Everyone knows who founded the NCP.” Ajit’s NCP secured 41 seats in the 288-member state assembly.
Pawar said, “The Ladki Bahin scheme, combined with religious polarisation due to slogans by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, played a role. Women voting in large numbers could have been a significant factor in the result. We will analyse the reasons behind our setback and take corrective measures.”
During the campaigns in Maharashtra, Adityanath said his favourite slogan “batenge to katenge, ek rahenge to nek rahenge”, a call for unity as Hindus.
Pawar senior, however, said he will have to get more data when asked if Maratha protest led to counter polarisation among OBCs, eventually helping Mahayuti to come back to power.
Responding to questions about the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs) following Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s remarks, Pawar said he would comment only after examining official data. Raut had earlier raised questions about the EVMs after his party suffered drubbing with only 20 seats.
Reflecting on the election results, Pawar called the outcome unprecedented in his long political career. The Mahayuti coalition—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawa’s NCP—secured a dominant 230 seats, with the BJP claiming 132, Sena 57, and NCP 41. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, meanwhile, managed just 46 seats despite earlier successes in the Lok Sabha polls.
The MVA alliance consists of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
“The MVA worked hard during the campaign, and the public’s response was encouraging. However, the results didn’t match our expectations,” Pawar said. He emphasised that the coalition would need to double down on its efforts to regain lost ground.
When asked if he was shaken by the results, Pawar said, “The results were declared yesterday. Today, I am here in Karad. Those who feel demoralised would have stayed home. I am not one of them.”
Sharad Pawar’s remarks underline his resolve to rebuild his faction of the NCP despite the significant electoral setback. With Mahayuti firmly in control of the state, the road ahead for the opposition remains challenging.
‘Ajit, Yugendra cannot be compared’
On the Baramati poll outcome, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said, “Ajit and Yugendra cannot be compared. We were aware of this fact from the beginning.”
In the election, Ajit (NCP) defeated his nephew Yugendra of NCP (SP) by over 1 lakh vote margin.
Pawar senior said fielding Yugendra against Ajit on the home turf of Baramati wasn’t a wrong decision as someone had to contest the elections.
