After Haryana, Maharashtra...sent 'ek hain toh safe hain' message: Modi
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
This is the third consecutive win for the BJP-led coalition in Maharashtra.
Addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi after the win, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said unity should be the biggest takeaway from these elections.
"After Haryana, Maharashtra has also sent a message of 'ek hain toh safe hain'. This has become a 'mahamantra for the country," he said.
Unity mantra
PM Modi highlights unity in election victory
He emphasized that this feeling of unity had fought against divisive forces and received support from all sections of the society, including Tribals, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Dalits.
"In Maharashtra, development and good governance won today. In Maharashtra, truthful community justice won today," the prime minister added.
The BJP's performance in Maharashtra is its best-ever show as the party led or won in 133 of the 149 seats it contested.
Election strategy
Strategic moves and welfare initiatives boost BJP's victory
He also took a dig at the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), saying that "negative politics and dynasty politics lost."
"People in Maharashtra have taught a lesson to, and punished those who fight elections in the name of caste, religion, language, and region," PM Modi said.
Several factors led to the NDA's electoral success.
After the Lok Sabha polls and its drubbing, the Eknath Shinde government started the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, focusing on women voters by extending financial assistance.
Leadership impact
PM Modi's appeal and strategic appointments strengthen BJP
Effective messaging through slogans like "ek hain toh safe hain" and "batenge toh katenge" also played a key role.
Further, grassroots mobilization by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) boosted voter turnout for the BJP.
The appointment of Shinde as CM in 2022 after his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray's government was another strategic move that reshaped party dynamics.
The action was seen as an attempt to elevate the Shiv Sena leader as an alternative to Thackeray.