Survey Predicts Public Opinion Against BJP, Thackeray-Pawar Likely to Benefit from Part Split

Mumbai: After the 2019 assembly elections, the state witnessed major political upheavals. Thackeray and Pawar, arch rivals of each other, came together to form the government.  But in the last two-and-a-half years, the Shiv Sena has escaped from Uddhav Thackeray's hands and the NCP from Sharad Pawar's hands. The BJP is said to be behind these political maneuvers. The opposition has been using this angle to state people's resentment towards the current government. 

A survey has painted a similar picture. If elections were to be held in the state today, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance is likely to suffer a major setback. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is projected to win 26 of the 48 seats. However, the Congress is projected to win 12 seats and both Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar will together get 14 seats. This claim was made by the Aaj Tak news channel as part of the show, Mood of the Nation. 

In 2022, Eknath Shinde took a different stand and rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray. More than 40 Shiv Sena MLAs supported it. Thirteen of the party's 18 MPs also accompanied Eknath Shinde. The Election Commission gave the Name and Symbol of Shiv Sena to the Eknath Shinde group. The same thing happened with the NCP. Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar joined the government by taking a different stand with the party's veteran MLAs. 

Most of the leaders and more than 40 MLAs of the party, who were considered confidants of Sharad Pawar, came to power with Ajit Pawar. Recently, the Election Commission declared the NCP Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP and awarded the party symbol to them. There is talk in the political circles that Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray will get sympathy as the party has fallen out of their hands. Mood of Nation seems to echo a similar sentiment.

In the 2019 elections, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena party had won 18 MPs. At that time, he was fighting in alliance with the BJP. Sharad Pawar's NCP had won four MPs. Everyone has eyes on the seats they can win in 2024. The poll shows the two will see 14 MPs getting elected.