Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole resigned on Saturday following the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) devastating defeat in the Assembly polls. The Congress, which contested 103 seats, managed to win only 16, marking its worst-ever performance in the state.
Mr. Patole, who narrowly retained his Sakoli seat with a margin of just 208 votes, took responsibility for the party’s poor showing. The former MP had taken over the reins of the state Congress in 2021, succeeding Balasaheb Thorat. Under his leadership, the party delivered an impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, winning 13 out of the 17 seats it contested— the best result among all MVA allies.
Pre-Election Frictions Within MVA
The Congress’s strong Lok Sabha performance emboldened Mr. Patole to push for a greater share of seats during pre-poll negotiations, causing tensions with MVA allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Reports suggested that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s camp at one point refused to hold seat-sharing talks if Mr. Patole was present.
Adding to the friction, Mr. Patole claimed just two days before the election results that a post-poll MVA government would be led by Congress, a remark that irked senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. Mr. Raut dismissed the possibility, signaling deep-seated mistrust within the alliance.
Historic Defeat and BJP’s Dominance
The election results underscored a complete collapse of the MVA, which secured fewer than 50 seats in total. In stark contrast, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance dominated the polls, winning a staggering 232 seats. Congress’s tally plummeted from 44 seats in the previous Assembly election to just 16.
Congress Calls Results “Unexpected”
In response to the debacle, Congress described the results as “unexpected” and “inexplicable.” Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh told reporters, “The level-playing field, a phrase often used by the Election Commission, was clearly disturbed in a targeted manner. The election results are very surprising, and we will analyze our performance and the factors behind it.”
Mr. Patole’s resignation is the first major fallout of the electoral drubbing, as the Congress begins introspection into its role within the fractured MVA alliance and its path forward in Maharashtra politics.