Analysis of the Maharashtra assembly elections results

I am hereby giving you my feedback on the recently concluded Maharashtra election.

There are quite a few lessons for BJP arising from the results of Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

1) Depending on Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s personal image and magic is still the need of the hour.

BJP's effort to try and breakway from that practice and project some local face like Devendra Fadnavis didn't work.

2) Harping on National issues like Article 370 does not work so well in State elections, where local issues and quality of State leadership matters more.

3) In Maharashtra, the state leadership was too overconfident and misread the undercurrent totally, especially in the final days.

4) There is discontent amongst the Karyakartas about the arrogant behaviour of many high-flying Ministers.

This arrogance has percolated down amongst the office bearers also and a disconnect has started.

5) The party's habit of predicting wins by large margins needs to controlled. Too much of publicity had created an exaggerated aura of invincibility. No rival should be taken lightly and ridiculed.

What is happening is that grassroots Karyakartas feel that the party is anyway going to win and they don't put in the required effort.

6) The power of voter preference has unexplored dimensions which were unknown to us as a ruling party.

7) Poaching candidates from other parties just before elections is a risky strategy and may cause internal friction, which can lead to subtle sabotage - which happened from inside the party and also outside - from our ally Shivsena.

8) Due to the unseasonal heavy rains and subsequent floods in Western Maharashtra, the public reaction went against the ruling party - us and the NCP and Congress reaped benefit.

9) The ED complain against Shri Sharad Pawar worked counter productive and the NCP was able to shift the entire episode as vendetta politics of the BJP and we failed to stem the damage.