Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde said several loyal voters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party went on holiday during voting in the Lok Sabha elections, assuming that the saffron alliance was set to win more than 400 seats in the 543-member lower house of Parliament.
Some of our voters went on holiday during polling, assuming that the NDA would easily win more than 400 seats in the general elections,” Shinde said, admitting the National Democratic Alliance was blindsided by the Opposition, which effectively consolidated its voter base.
Speaking at a joint rally of Mahayuti partners in Mumbai, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported Shinde's claims, noting that NDA leaders underestimated the impact of the Opposition's false narratives during the campaign.
The rally saw participation from leaders of Shiv Sena, BJP, NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and other smaller constituents.
In Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA secured only 17 seats, while the MVA, comprising the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Shiv Sena (UBT), won 30 constituencies. The Independent candidate who won in Sangli is a Congress leader.
"We were caught off guard by the Opposition during the Lok Sabha election," Shinde said. "Some of our voters went on holiday during polling, assuming that the NDA would easily win more than 400 seats in the general elections. This loss underscores the need for a more strategic approach in the future."
Shinde highlighted that the Opposition voters showed strong participation, with almost 80 percent turnout. "If 60 percent of our voters had turned up at the polling booths, we could have easily won 40 seats. We can't afford to be naive or callous after being hit hard in the Lok Sabha polls," he added.