New Delhi: On Saffron Sunday, the Narendra Modi-led BJP wiped out the Congress from two of its traditional bastions — Maharashtra and Haryana — and was set to form a government for the first time in the northern state.
The Congress, that has ruled Haryana for the past 10 years, and ran a government in Mahar-ashtra in alliance with the NCP for 15 years, slipped to a pathetic third slot in both states.
The BJP, that barely existed in the Haryana Assembly, won 47 seats, a clear majority in a House of 90, and is set to form a government on its own. In Maharashtra, despite its acrimonious split with 25-year-old ally Shiv Sena, the BJP emerged as the largest single party in the Assembly, winning 122 seats, just 22 short of a simple majority.
Read: Victory boosts BJP prospects in Delhi
The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, that won 41 seats, rushed to offer the BJP unconditional “outside support”. The NCP’s sudden move apparently disturbed the Shiv Sena’s gameplan to gain the upper hand in the post-poll scenario.
The Shiv Sena, which improved its tally from 44 to 63 seats, did not rule out a possible alliance. Being upstaged by its erstwhile junior partner, the BJP, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray tried to put up a brave face, saying: “The BJP can approach us if they want, or if the BJP wants it can go with the NCP.”
