Mumbai, Maharashtra (October 16, 2024): A day after the announcement of the Maharashtra Assembly election schedule, the ruling Mahayuti coalition faced a significant setback as an ally decided to go solo in the upcoming polls. The Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP), led by Mahadev Jankar, has declared its exit from the Mahayuti alliance and will contest all 288 seats in Maharashtra independently.
Jankar's RSP has been part of the Mahayuti with the BJP since before the 2014 elections. Despite numerous disagreements between the two parties, Jankar consistently remained with the coalition. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, he was nominated by Mahayuti to contest from the Parbhani constituency but faced defeat.
Reports of Jankar's dissatisfaction within Mahayuti had surfaced in recent days, culminating in his announcement to leave the coalition.
In a statement to the media regarding his departure, Jankar said, "Neither Mahayuti nor the Maha Vikas Aghadi has contacted me. I am not upset with anyone. I am preparing to contest all 288 seats on behalf of my party. We have decided to fight independently based on our strength. Mahayuti offered us one seat in the Lok Sabha, and we thank all three parties in the coalition for that. However, now we must strengthen our party, and we want our own Chief Minister and Prime Minister. That is why we have made this decision."
Maharashtra will hold its Assembly elections in a single phase on November 20, with results set to be announced on November 23. The Election Commission of India made the announcement as the tenure of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly is set to end on November 26.
The upcoming election is expected to witness a two-way contest between the ruling Mahayuti Alliance, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, against the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP led by Sharad Pawar, and the Congress.