"Will Never Be...": Devendra Fadnavis Takes Dig At Maharashtra Opposition

Amid the opposition unity bid to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party from the national picture on the back of Congress' astounding victory in Karnataka, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that the party will win all seats from the southern state in next year's general elections.

Mr Fadnavis took a jibe at Maha Vikas Aghadi parties including Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) for hailing Congress' victory in Karnataka and said that this is all they can do.

"We lost in the Karnataka election but our vote share did not reduce. The votes of the Janta Dal (Secular) were reduced which benefitted the Congress. But I am confident that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, we would win 28 seats (in Karnataka)," he said while addressing the party workers on Monday.

"I fail to understand in Congress win why the NCP and Sena (UBT) celebrating. This is all they can do. Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of forming the government (in Maharashtra) will never be fulfilled as BJP-Sena will be re-elected," he added.

Various political parties lauded Congress after it defeated the ruling BJP in Karnataka in the recently concluded state Assembly elections.

Amid opposition efforts to forge a joint front against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that the parties which are strong in a particular region should fight together and if she is supporting Congress in states such as Karnataka, "it should not fight against me in Bengal".

Talking to media persons at Nabannna, Banerjee, who is Trinamool Congress chief, said wherever a regional political party is strong there BJP cannot fight.

"People are demoralised and frustrated...people are antagonised...the economy is ruined. Democratic rights are being bulldozed. Even the wrestlers are also not spared. So in this situation, I think whoever is strong in a particular region, should fight together. In Bengal, we (TMC) should fight...in Delhi, AAP should fight," Mamata Banerjee said.

Earlier on May 14, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nana Patole launched a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its poor performance in the Karnataka Assembly elections and said that the "corrupt" Maharashtra government would witness a similar fate.

Nana Patole's remarks came after a meeting of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was held at the residence of the NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Leaders including Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Nana Patole, Ajit Pawar, Balasaheb Thorat and others were present in the meeting.

While talking to the media, Mr Patole said, "The people of Karnataka elected Congress. This shows that they are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. In Maharashtra too, a corrupt government is in power, so in the upcoming elections, we will win Maharashtra too."

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's government and alleged that there is 100 per cent corruption in the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)