PUNE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Pune on Saturday, emphasized that the recent Maharashtra Assembly election results have decisively identified the genuine factions of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Shah said that in the recent election result,s the public have given overwhelming endorsement of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and its constituent parties including the Shiv Sena and the NCP.

He expressed gratitude to the voters for their overwhelming support, which led to the formation of the Mahayuti government—a coalition comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction.

The Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sena, and NCP secured a commanding majority in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, winning 230 seats. This victory has been interpreted by Shah as a clear mandate from the people, affirming the legitimacy of the Shiv Sena and NCP factions aligned with the BJP-led coalition.

During his address, Shah highlighted the collaborative efforts of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and the central government in implementing various developmental projects across Maharashtra.

Shah specifically mentioned the distribution of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) acceptance letters, underscoring the government’s commitment to housing for all.

The HM, who is the senior BJP leader, also took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, urging him to witness ‘Modi’s magic’ and said that Rahul Gandhi was consistently questioning the Modi government’s decision to open Jan Dhan accounts. “He (Rahul Gandhi) used to say you would give them accounts, but what would you transfer in them? Rahul Baba, see the miracle by Modi; 10 lakh people received money in their accounts at one click,” the BJP leader said.

Leaders of the Shiv Sena and NCP experienced internal divisions in recent years, leading to the formation of separate factions. The faction led by Eknath Shinde aligned with the BJP, while the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray remained with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Ajit Pawar also formed his own faction and then joined the Mahayuti.