Maharashtra Assembly Polls: MNS and VBA Fail to Make an Impact as Mahayuti Cruises to Victory
In the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, both Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) struggled to make a significant mark. As per the early trends, the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, is heading towards a decisive victory, leaving little room for opposition parties to challenge their dominance.
The MNS, which had fielded 125 candidates, faced a setback with its chief Raj Thackeray’s son, Amit Thackeray, trailing in the Mahim constituency of Mumbai, securing only a third-place position. Similarly, the VBA, which had put forward 200 candidates, did not manage to secure a meaningful foothold in the state’s political landscape, contradicting Ambedkar’s pre-election claim that his party would play a pivotal role in forming the next government.
Other smaller parties such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), and Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Paksha also showed marginal leads but failed to pose a serious challenge to the major political forces. The SP and CPI(M) led in two constituencies each, while the AIMIM and others led in one seat each.
With 158 parties contesting in the election, the main battle was between the Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes the Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT). Despite high expectations from the MNS and VBA, the trends suggest that the Mahayuti alliance will maintain its stronghold in the state.
