Maharashtra Exit Poll Reactions: Mahayuti Buoyant; MVA Snubs It

The exit poll results have sparked a debate among leaders of the two major political alliances in the state. While the ruling Mahayuti alliance received the outcomes positively, leaders of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rejected it.

Reacting to the exit polls, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut termed it a fraud and confidently claimed that the MVA would form the government with 160 seats.

Raut cited an example of the Lok Sabha election where the exit polls predicted 400 seats to NDA. Even in Haryana the exit polls gave 60 seats to the Congress, he reminded.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refused to speak on the issue. But he said the Mahayuti has an edge and it was going to form the next government.

Soon after the exit polls, the issue of the next chief minister also figured in the reactions by the leaders.

The state Congress chief Nana Patole said the Congress-led MVA government will be formed in the state. The trends suggest that Congress will get the maximum number of seats, Patole said. But, his statement was not well received by the allies of the MVA. Sena MP Raut said the chief ministerial face will be decided by the alliance partners.

“If the Congress high command has told Nana Patole that he was going to be the chief minister's face then the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party senior leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should announce the same,” Raut has reported to have said.

Meanwhile, reacting to a question regarding the next CM, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur said there was no discussion about the CM post at the moment. The Mahayuti leaders will sit together and decide after the results are out.

BJP candidate from Colaba assembly and State Legislative Assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar on Thursday expressed confidence that Mahayuti would form the government. “Everyone is independent to think whether the exit polls are accurate or not. Everything will be clear on November 23. We will win by double margin this year,” he said.

Reacting on the exit poll predictions, MLA Bachhu Kadu of the Prahar Janshakti Party said no government can be formed without his support. The party is part of the third front of which ex MP Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati is also associated.

Minister Deepak Kesrakar from the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena has said that if needed the Mahayuti can take support of the independent MLAs to form the government. It is said that the senior leaders of the Mahayuti have approached probable winners who have fought the election as an independent.

Sanjay Shirsat, spokesperson of the Shinde-led Sena has said that Eknath Shinde will take a decision if denied the CM's post. When he was asked if Shinde decided to ally with Sharad Pawar for the CM's post, Shirsat said whichever decision he may take the MLAs will be with him.