No Modi wave, it’s a fractured mandate, writes Uddhav Thackeray in Saamana editorial

Thackeray said that the division of votes between Sena and BJP as a result of break-up of the 25-year-old alliance helped NCP and Congress who, otherwise, would have failed to even get two dozen seats combined.

“Sena fought a lonely battle against all odds to make sure that the state founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji remains undivided, to make sure that Mumbai doesn’t lose its clout and saffron keeps shining in the state. It was a battle among unequals. On one hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his entire government machinery were working against us. Many ministers, MPs and MLAs from BJP ruled states were camping in Maharashtra.

“On the other hand were the rich and arrogant leaders of NCP and Congress. Still the tiger of Sena reached to a certain milestone. It’s admirable… The verdict also showed that the break of alliance only helped NCP and Congress who otherwise would have failed to win even 25 seats combined,” read the editorial.

“The unstable and hung verdict the voters have given is making many suspect if the state will survive… We don’t want to blame the voters but we surely want to ask them: Are you happy with the kind of verdict you gave? Unstable and chaotic? .. . we congratulate those who have won, we are large hearted enough to do that. But their victory is futile as the dream of undivided Maharashtra has not won,” read the editorial.