"For the first time in Maharashtra, no leader in the opposition," says Shaina NC after historic election results

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Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC expressed concerns over the absence of a leader of opposition (LoP) in Maharashtra's legislative assembly for the first time in the state's history. In an exclusive interview with ANI on Monday, Shaina NC pointed out that this development was a direct consequence of the actions of the Congress and other opposition parties, which she accused of spreading false narratives and misleading the public.

"This is the first time in Maharashtra's history that we will not have a leader in the opposition. This situation reflects the wrong deeds of Congress and the opposition. They spread false narratives and used degrading adjectives to attack us - 'maal,' ‘bakri,' ‘kutta' - and put forth a vision plan that was utterly dysfunctional," Shaina NC said.

She further explained that the outcome of the recent Maharashtra elections was a clear reflection of the people's desire for progress. According to her, the voters had chosen a vision of "Viksit Bharat" (developed India) and prioritised the development of both the nation and the state of Maharashtra. Shaina NC attributed the defeat of the opposition to their inability to provide a constructive alternative, choosing instead to spread negativity and falsehoods.

"The people of Maharashtra voted for the development of Bharat and Maharashtra. They voted for a vision plan that aims to unite everyone, as we say ‘anekta mein ekta' (unity in diversity). The voters have made it clear that it is better to have no opposition leader than to have a group that spreads falsehoods and causes disruption in public service," she added.

Earlier, Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule had also criticised the opposition and announced that the state would not have a Leader of the Opposition in the current legislative assembly. Bawankule attributed this development to the opposition's failure to address people's concerns and their role in misleading voters during the previous Lok Sabha elections.

"The absence of an opposition leader is the result of the opposition's wrongdoings. They misled voters during the Lok Sabha elections with fake narratives. When people realised this, they rejected them in the assembly polls, as they did in Haryana," Bawankule said.

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, held recently, concluded with the Mahayuti alliance securing a dominant 230 seats out of 288. The BJP, in alliance with Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), achieved a decisive win with 132 seats, 57 seats, and 41 seats respectively. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led by Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), secured only 20 seats, Congress won 16, and the NCP (SCP) led by Sharad Pawar managed a mere 10 seats.

According to ANI reports, the election results reflect a shift in the state's political landscape, as voters chose to back the development agenda of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, leaving the opposition fragmented and weakened.

(With inputs from ANI)