Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar has stated that the results of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were “totally unexpected,” in his very first reaction after the 2024 Maharashtra assembly results were declared on Saturday.

Incidentally, the NCP (Sharad Pawar) had not even issued a press statement on Saturday after results were declared nor did it do so until the press conference organised suddenly and unexpectedly on late Sunday evening at Karad where is camping.

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Talking to media persons at a hurriedly organised and unexpected press conference on Sunday, November 24 at 6:30 pm late in the evening, Sharad Pawar attributed his party’s defeat to a black propaganda campaign run at the grassroots level by the BJP-backed Mahayuti and its allies that the Congress-backed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would stop the monthly cash payment to women under the ‘Laadki Bahin Yojana’ if the MVA came to power.

In this connection, it may be recalled that the Congress election campaign led by Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had aggressively spoken about actually increasing the monthly cash payment to women to Rs 3000 per month.

“It is a highly unexpected result but we have no option but to accept it and move forward. Women’s participation in large numbers could be the reason for the Mahayuti sweep in Maharashtra polls,” Sharad Pawar said.

Despite several questions from media persons about the role of electronic voting machines (EVMs) which have also been raised by other parties which are part of the MVA, Pawar said that he would not like to say anything about (EVMs).

“We will have to deeply study all the reasons for our electoral defeat, rework our strategy and go back to the people of Maharashtra with renewed vigour once again,” Pawar said.

Reacting to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP getting many more seats than his party, Sharad Pawar said that he had no qualms accepting Ajit Pawar getting more seats, “But everyone knows who the founder of the NCP is.”

Pawar said that the decision to field his nephew Yugendra Pawar against Ajit Pawar in Baramati constituency, was not a wrong decision at all, since someone had to contest against him.

“There can be no comparison between Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar,” Sharad Pawar added.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Eknath Shinde is holding a meeting of his Shiv Sena at a suburban hotel at Bandra in Mumbai.

A similar meeting of the BJP is also going on at the residence of Devendra Fadnavis who is poised to be Maharashtra Chief Minister.