Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Congress stalwart Balasaheb Thorat blames BJP's divisive propaganda after shock defeat

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat who lost in his stronghold of Sangamner on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of resorting to "divisive politics, false propaganda, and promotion of hatred based on caste and religion."

Thorat, a former Maharashtra Congress chief and a potential candidate for the chief minister's post had the Opposition fared well, lost to the Shiv Sena's Amol Khatal by more than 10,000 votes as the Congress and its allies faced a rout in the assembly elections and the ruling BJP-led coalition won a massive victory.

"It is a shocking result, but it raises doubts in the minds of the common people. The use of religion, money, and schemes designed purely for political gains have played a significant role. This is not a true victory, but one achieved through tricks and by deceiving the electorate," Thorat said.

The BJP's tactics posed a serious threat to democracy, the Congress leader claimed.

He conceded that the Mahayuti government's `Ladki Bahin Yojana' for women could have played a role in its victory.

"It may be one of the reasons for their win. But it was a scheme designed for political reasons.....Nearly Rs 700 crore were seized by the police during the campaign period. It shows the shady methods they used to conduct their campaign," he added.

"They could have relied on their genuine achievements and sought votes on that basis, but the election was never contested over that. They used religion and pushed ahead divisive politics," the Congress leader alleged.

Reflecting on his own loss, Thorat said if the people of the Sangamner constituency were facing any issues, he would work to address them.

But he also claimed that the tactics employed by the BJP during the elections were unfamiliar to his constituency. "These methods were never used here before. This is something new, and it did have an impact on this election," said Thorat.

"Divisive politics, false propaganda, and promoting animosity based on caste and religion are the true weapons of the BJP. That is why they achieved such a success. But this is not the kind of success we expect in a democracy," he said.

Asked why the Opposition could not replicate its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Thorat said the welfare schemes brought in by the state government diverted people's attention from pressing issues such as unemployment, inflation, and farmers' struggles.

"They bombarded people with welfare schemes to distract them from real issues," Thorat said.

Maharashtra Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here

Jharkhand Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here

Bypoll 2024 results | Check Karnataka results here

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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