Post-Maharashtra poll loss, 43 MVA runners-up have jumped ship to Mahayuti
3 Independents also with ruling alliance; 26 shift to BJP, 13 to NCP (Ajit Pawar), 7 to Shinde Sena; Sena (UBT) worst hit
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is the worst-hit among Maha Vikas Aghadi partners. 
A year after its defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is struggling to keep its flock together, with 43 of its runner-up candidates having crossed over to the ruling Mahayuti, most of them to the BJP. Three Independent candidates have also since joined the Mahayuti.
46 MVA Runners-up Join Mahayuti in One Year
An analysis shows that of the total 46, 26 have switched to the BJP, 13 to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and seven to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Additionally, a former candidate of the ruling NCP has also shifted to the BJP.
In the 2024 Assembly polls, the Mahayuti won 235 of the state’s 288 seats. The BJP bagged 132 seats, while the Shinde Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar) secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively. The MVA managed to win just 50 seats — the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) got 20, Congress got 16, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP got 10.
These defections have largely taken place in belts traditionally seen as Sena (UBT) strongholds.
Maharashtra Assembly 2024: Mahayuti's Landslide Victory
Clearly, following their landslide victory, the Mahayuti parties have pressed ahead with their efforts to consolidate their bases. “It (inducting Opposition leaders) serves multiple purposes. By poaching runners-up, the possibility of the Opposition fighting back is eliminated as it gets weakened further. There are seats where ruling parties have poached leaders from areas where their allies have won. It is a part of internal politics that also helps to keep a check while planning for the 2029 Assembly polls,” a senior NCP leader said.
Among the MVA constituents, the Sena (UBT) has been the worst hit, with 19 of its former candidates switching to the Mahayuti camp. The NCP(SP) has lost 13, while the Congress has lost 10. Three Independents and one runner-up from the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) have also crossed over to the Mahayuti.
While NCP(SP) candidate Salil Deshmukh, who finished second in the Katol Assembly seat, resigned from his party last week, he is yet to spell out his future plans. So his name has not been included in this list.
A region-wise analysis of the list shows that the BJP has focused largely on Marathwada, North Maharashtra and Konkan regions.
In Marathwada, 16 MVA runners-up have switched loyalties, with half of them joining the BJP. Five have shifted to the NCP, and the remaining three have joined the Sena.
Of the 11 MVA candidates who have joined the Mahayuti in North Maharashtra, 10 have shifted to the BJP and one to the NCP.
In Konkan, a traditional bastion of the Sena (UBT), five have shifted to the BJP, three to the Shinde Sena and two to the NCP.
“The BJP has no talent and lacks leaders with mass support. They need imported leaders to contest polls. They are putting pressure on leaders through central agencies like the CBI and ED. BJP now stands for Bogus Janata Party,” Sena (UBT) spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said.
Ajit Pawar appears to be concentrating on his strongholds in Marathwada and Western Maharashtra. Of the 13 inducted by his party, five are from Marathwada and four from Western Maharashtra. While six are from the NCP(SP), three are from the Congress, and two from the Sena (UBT). Two Independents have also joined the party.
In the case of the Shinde Sena, three of the five Sena (UBT) runners-up who have joined its ranks are from Konkan, while the other two are from Marathwada. The party has also inducted one leader each from the Congress and the NCP(SP).
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