Sena's fight is with NOTA, not BJP: Goa in-charge Devendra Fadnavis
This is the BJP's third consecutive win in Goa. The victory has also enhanced Fadnavis' stature in the party ranks and the former Maharashtra chief minister might see a bigger role for him at the national level.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as both parties registered poor performance in this year's assembly elections in Goa.
Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis, who is also the poll in charge of Goa said, “Sena means BJP Sena not Shiv Sena...Their (Shiv Sena) fight is with NOTA, not BJP...(In Goa), NCP and Sena's votes are even less than NOTA...Those who claimed to topple Pramod Sawant have themselves lost.”
This is the BJP's third consecutive win in Goa. The victory has also enhanced Fadnavis' stature in the party ranks and the former Maharashtra chief minister might see a bigger role for him at the national level.
The Shiv Sena bagged fewer votes than the ones which went to NOTA (none of the above) in Goa, according to the Election Commission. The NOTA option secured 1.12 per cent of total votes polled in Goa, while the Sena bagged a mere 0.18 per cent votes.
One of the oldest allies of the BJP, the Sena parted ways with the saffron party and allied with the NCP and the Congress party after the 2019 Maharashtra elections to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in the state.
Apart from Goa, the Shiv Sena also performed poorly in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur. However, Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray exuded confidence that the Sena will win one day and this was just the beginning of an electoral journey.
With the BJP's stellar win in Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Uttarakhand, Devendra Fadnavis said the "Modi magic" turned the much-hyped anti-incumbency into pro-incumbency.
"The results in four states have once again proven that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only leader in the country. Uttar Pradesh has a population of 25 crores and in the last 37 years, for the first time, a party has retained power in the state... Modi magic turned the much-hyped anti-incumbency into pro-incumbency," he said.
Fadnavis also added that the next goal of the BJP will be the municipal elections in Mumbai and the Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024.