Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai wears a deserted look after the counting of votes for the Maharashtra elections.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The iconic Sena Bhavan headquarters of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai's Dadar East wore a sombre look as the Mahayuti swept the Maharashtra Assembly polls on Saturday.
Eight police personnel sat on chairs guarding the entrance, though hardly anyone entered, while the security guard stood grimly in silence. A huge banner of party founder and Hindutva icon late Bal Thackeray in his trademark saffron gown with 'rudraksh' beads in his hand could be seen on the other side of the building's entrance.
The building, usually bustling with party workers coming from all parts of the state, was devoid of any activity as the effect of the Maha Yuti 'tsunami' sunk in.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which carried out a no-holds barred campaign promising to uproot the Mahayuti led by "traitor" Eknath Shinde, was reduced to just 20 seats in the 288-member Assembly.
It had contested 95 seats as part of Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Wearing a skull cap and white gown with the party's 'burning torch' symbol lapel pin, Mohammad Shakil Qureshi was standing outside the Sena Bhavan.
"We are still strong. We have not lost hope," he said. "We did better in Mumbai, but fumbled in the state," Qureshi said with sadness evident on his face. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare said the results are not only expected but also unbelievable.
The polls were won by "compromising" constitutional institutions, she alleged. As per data available on the Election Commission website, the BJP is set to win 133 seats, followed by 57 for Shinde's Shiv Sena and 41 for the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena took a march over the Uddhav Thackeray faction by winning 57 seats after contesting 81 seats. However, small solace for the Shiv Sena (UBT) was that it won Mahim Assembly seat, which covers the Dadar area.
The party managed to wrest the seat from the Shinde faction and in the process also defeated Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray.
The mood at Rajgad, the headquarters of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), was understandably subdued. The party contested 125 seats but failed to win any. There was barely any activity at Rajgad, while the poll news was being telecast on a television set.
Maharashtra Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here
Jharkhand Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here
Bypoll 2024 results | Check Karnataka results here
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.