What Team Uddhav Thackeray Said on Reports of Switching Back to NDA

Dismissing rumors, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has confirmed its commitment to the INDIA alliance and denied any intentions of returning to the NDA. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has secured nine seats in Maharashtra, tied with the BJP. This achievement has bolstered their morale, especially since the Eknath Shinde faction managed to win only seven seats.

In a post on X, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed media allegedly favoring the BJP. Media had predicted a significant victory for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Since that didn't materialize, Chaturvedi claimed, the media is now spreading false rumors about her party leaving the INDIA alliance and rejoining the NDA. Referencing a popular meme, she posted, "Moye Moye. Ye na hoye (this won't happen). You can roye roye (you can feel sorry)."

2024 LS polls featured two Shiv Senas and two NCPs

The 2024 Lok Sabha election was one of the most unusual in Maharashtra's history, featuring two Shiv Senas and two NCPs (Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar and National Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar) competing against each other. The Shinde and Ajit Pawar factions were supported by the BJP, while the Thackeray and Sharad Pawar groups allied with the Congress.

The recognition of the Shinde and Ajit Pawar groups as the "real" parties and the allocation of party symbols to them was another blow to the Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions. For them, the Lok Sabha elections were a matter of prestige and survival.

BJP was reduced to nine seats from its previous 23

Leading up to the elections, the Sena-BJP-NCP alliance, known as the Mahayuti, was confident of winning most seats. However, the BJP was reduced to nine seats from its previous 23, Team Shinde secured seven, and Ajit Pawar's National Congress Party (NCP) won only one.

Conversely, the Congress-Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)-NCP (Sharad Pawar) coalition won 30 of Maharashtra's 48 constituencies. The Congress emerged as the largest party with 13 seats, Team Uddhav secured nine, and Sharad Pawar's party won eight.