Mumbai Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: ‘Tendulkar cannot slam a century every time’

Shaina N C, BJP spokesperson; Akash Purohit, former nagarsevak, Mumbadevi; Mangal Prabhat Lodha, BJP leader; Ruben Mascarenhas, national joint secretary, AAP; Krishna Hegde, deputy leader and spokesperson, Shiv Sena

It was tumultuous Tuesday as the 400 paar slogan was blown away by the voting winds. Mumbai's leaders and spokespersons of different parties went head on, as they decoded the numbers, the poll results and spoke about Operation ‘bloc' shock.

Said Krishna Pawle, deputy president, Colaba constituency, Shiv Sena (UBT), "The people of the country have spoken, but most of all, hear the Mumbaikar bol through the ballot box. Even as the results were coming in, one could ‘hear' what the voters in Mumbai were saying. It is evident that they were tired of the dirty politics. This splitting and making of two Shiv Senas, the two NCPs and in the background, the steady whirring of the BJP's washing machine. People were well and truly fed up. The citizens were seeing through all these shenanigans. First, the BJP calls somebody corrupt, and then when he goes over to the party the washing machine starts working and ‘cleans' them up. How are people going to accept this? In fact, even hardcore supporters did not accept it. Let us face it, the Modi craze is finished. In very early trends, even the PM was trailing in the vote count. Just imagine the PM trailing. People do want development but we must also see that some persons are not harmed during this development. I would say with reference to the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) showing that people have applied their minds and voted, this is an informed mandate," he finished.

Another Krishna, Krishna Hegde, had a sharp retort to all the ‘shock', ‘upset' and ‘blown away' words and phrases, accompanying results and analyses.

Hegde, deputy leader and spokesperson, Shiv Sena, and former MLA said, "The NDA is forming the government on its own and that is definite. I would say that yesterday was a good day for the NDA." On being asked why this is a story about a resurgent and robust Opposition rather than the BJP and Modi, Hegde used a cricketing analogy. He said, "Look at it this way, Sachin Tendulkar cannot score a century every time. Even if he scores an 80, it is good."

‘Daydreaming'

When asked specifically about Sanjay Raut's statements like: "PM Modi should concede defeat", Hegde said, "Raut is always daydreaming. Narendra Modi is the leader to take India into the future. Wherever we have fallen short, we have to introspect and rectify our performance."

Mumbai's Akash Purohit, former nagarsevak, Mumbadevi, said, "Modiji has done a lot for the country. There was an impression created that he would harm certain groups of people, which was untrue. In fact, Modiji never asks for seats, he asks for energy and success," he said.

Mumbai's Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Ruben Mascarenhas had stated while the results were coming in that, "INDIA bloc will win a simple majority. In any case, the fight is very close. Anyway, consider this a defeat for Modi and the BJP and its low level of politics with its dog whistle utterances. By that I mean, instead of talking about inflation or unemployment, we heard talks about mutton, machchi and mangalsutras. We heard about how the Gandhi movie upped Mahatma Gandhi's popularity, Muslims were attacked as having more children. CMs like Arvind Kejriwal were arrested, bank accounts were frozen. With reference to Delhi, we will have to sit together and assess." Mascarenhas, who is AAP's national joint secretary, added, "People have shown that they have taken this election into their own hands. People have come together to save the country and save the Constitution. I say that June 4 was a big day for democracy and the BJP model of trying to finish off the Opposition has not worked. There are people who believe in democracy and not in fantasy."

For BJP leader Mumbai's Mangal Prabhat Lodha it is, "still Modiji that people have reposed their faith in, and he will take over as PM. The seats are less, but there is no truth to all these words like: ‘shock' and ‘setback'."

BJP spokesperson Shania N C was more balanced. "We have to accept that victory and defeat are part of every election. The fact that PM Modi has worked tirelessly without a speck of corruption on him for 10 years is something we need to appreciate. BJP is the single largest party and with the allies, we will form the government," she said.