The Congress flag.
Credit: PTI File Photo
With the 2024 Maharashtra polls close by, the Congress party, as usual, is likely play a vital role in the elections and the subsequent government that forms in the state.
November 20 is when the people of Maharashtra will vote, along with phase 2 in Jharkhand, with the results set to be declared on November 23 for both states.
Congress has played a hand in almost every government formed in Maharashtra since the state was formed, very rarely playing the part of opposition in the state's assembly.
They have had 24 Chief Ministers in the state in the 14 assemblies the state has elected. They have also supported various governments in the assembly.
Performance in 2019 Elections
In 2019, Congress contested the state polls in an alliance with the then-undivided NCP. Individually INC won 44 and NCP won 54 seats, with the alliance in total winning 106 out of the 288 seats in the assembly, well below the required majority.
BJP and then undivided Shiv-Sena won 161 seats, well above the majority of 145.
However, differences between Shiv Sena and BJP meant that the alliance broke off. With no clear majority, President's rule was invoked.
Later, BJP, along with a rebellious Ajit Pawar faction of NCP, tried to form a government, but failed to prove their majority just days after Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as CM.
After a lengthy political crisis, an alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP(Sharad Pawar) and Congress formed a government under the alliance named Maha Vikas Aghadi.
It lasted until 2022, when Shiv Sena split between Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
2014 Elections
Congress, contesting alone in the 2014 polls, won just 42 out of the 288 seats, coming in as the third largest party. This was their worst ever performance in Maharashtra
Performance in 1990, '95, '99, 2004 and '09 elections
In the 5 elections prior to the 2014 elections, the INC came up top as the single largest party on 4 occasions, with them coming in second in 2004. In each of these occasions, Congress formed the government in alliance with local parties, and held the CM post in all but one assembly, which Shiv Sena led.
The numbers they achieved in each of those elections are as follows:
2009 - 82 seats
2004 - 69 seats
1999 - 75 seats
1995 - 80 seats
1990 - 141 seats
In fact, the Congress party has come out as the single largest party in 10 of the 14 elections held in the state.
Best performance
Congress' best performance in Maharashtra was the 1972 elections, that saw them win 222 seats of the 270 in the assembly back then.
Worst performance
Congress' worst performance in the Maratha state was, as stated earlier, in 2014, when they mustered up just 42 seats.
2024 Elections
Going into the 2024 state elections, Congress will fight under the Maha Vikas Aghadhi alliance, which includes Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP). The parties will contest 85 seats each in the state elections this time around.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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