Mahayuti's big Maharashtra win: Key takeaways by India Today's Sahil Joshi

The Mahayuti's strong strategy and focused voter outreach, like the popular 'Ladki Bahin' scheme, drove its win, while the MVA's weak campaign, failure to address key issues, and internal divisions caused its loss.

In Short

• BJP made significant gains in key regions in Maharashtra
• MVA lacked a unified campaign and strong manifesto
• Mahayuti's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme swayed female voters

The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance is poised for a sweeping victory in Maharashtra, as it currently leads in over 200 seats. All alliance partners have delivered an impressive performance, with the BJP emerging as a game-changer by making significant gains in decisive regions. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), suffered a major setback, securing only 50-60 seats.

What factors propelled the Mahayuti to an impressive victory, and what caused the MVA's dismal performance?

1. Disjointed narrative: The MVA lacked a unified campaign message, with its allies focusing on divergent issues.
2. Failure to capitalise on Maharashtra pride: The coalition failed to harness the "self-respect of Maharashtra" sentiment.
3. Weak manifesto: The MVA's manifesto closely mirrored Mahayuti's policies, offering no distinct vision.
4. Neglected agrarian issues: Inadequate focus on farmer distress over soybean, cotton, and onions diluted rural discontent.
5. Impact of Ladki Bahin scheme: Mahayuti's targeted scheme significantly swayed female voters.
6. Effective Mahayuti campaign: Coordinated advertising and speeches effectively countered allegations and bolstered Mahayuti's image.
7. Overlooked key issues: The MVA failed to effectively highlight issues like the Malwan statue controversy and the Badlapur rape case.
8. Perception of instability: Voters favoured the existing government over the perceived instability of the coalition.
9. Missed opportunity to attack BJP: Congress's lukewarm response to BJP's campaign blunders and fake advertisements weakened the MVA's position.
10. Diminished sympathy for Uddhav: Public sympathy for Uddhav Thackeray was eroded due to his defensive campaign strategy.
11. Fragmented social alliance: The MVA failed to maintain its Adivasi, Dalit, Muslim, and Kunbi social coalition, which splintered due to the rise of smaller parties and rebel candidates.

The Mahayuti's cohesive strategy, targeted voter outreach, and effective campaigning, along with the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme and well-coordinated messaging, seem to have paid off. In contrast, the MVA's dismal performance was attributed to a fragmented narrative, failure to address key issues, perceived instability, and a lack of public resonance, further compounded by internal divisions and inadequate responses to the BJP's campaign tactics.