‘Congress' overconfidence hurt us’ in Maharashtra polls: Shiv Sena (UBT)

Mumbai: A senior leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed that Opposition’s alliance the Maha Vikas Aghadi should have projected his leader Uddhav Thackeray as its Chief Minister face in the Maharashtra assembly polls.

Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, also blamed what he said the Congress's ‘overconfidence’ and its ‘attitude’ during seat- sharing, which he said spoilt the alliance’s prospects of returning to power.

The BJP-led Mahayuti pulled off thumping victory in the election, winning 230 seats in the 288-member Assembly.

Danve told the media that the Congress was overconfident in Maharashtra as it was in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, adding that the grand old party’s attitude during seat-sharing ‘hurt us’.

‘Uddhav ji should have been projected as the Chief Minister face. Not doing so harmed our prospects. The results would have been different if this was done, Danve was quoted as saying.

Without pulling his punches, Danve said the Congress leaders were ‘getting ready with suit and tie even before the results.’

Having won 13 seats in the Lok Sabha polls a few months ago, the Congress emerged as the strongest among the allies of Maha Vikas Aghadi and the party’s state unit led by Nana Patole bargained hard at the seat-sharing talks.

The Congress took away 103 seats to contest in the polls but ended up winning only 16, while the Sena(UBT) won 20 of the 89 seats it contested and Sharad Pawar's NCP, contested 87 seats and won 10.

Exuding confidence, Danve said Sena (UBT) will build its strength making the party capable of contesting all 288 seats in the state.