The ruling Shiv Sena on Tuesday joined the Opposition in hailing the verdict in the State Assembly polls which saw the Congress deliver a body blow to the BJP and capture power in the States of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Describing the outcome in the Assembly poll as a major setback to the BJP, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray congratulated the voters for showing courage in bringing out change in Government in four States, three of them ruled by the BJP. He said the courage shown by the voters would give a “new direction” to the country.
“Victories and defeats are common in elections. But, I would like to congratulate the voters in four States who have brought about change in their respective State. Without bothering to go into ‘alternatives’ (to the BJP) and not also thinking about what will follow, the voters have shown the courage of showing the door to the existing Government. The courage shown by the voters should give a new direction to the country,” Uddhav said.
Uddhav, who reacted to the poll results before the final outcome of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, said: “The Congress has succeeded snatching power from the BJP in the states of Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh. A stiff battle is on between the Congress and BJP in Madhya Pradesh. K Chandrashekar Rao has succeeded in retaining power in Telangana. In Mizoram, the Congress has lost power to the Mizoram National Front (MNF)”.
The Sena president said that best part of the Assembly polls, the voters had exercised their rights without bothering much about the apprehensions about the manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines, use of money-power, muscle power and the oft-repeated ‘there is no alternative’ factor.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray described the outcome in the State Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh as a slap on the “jumla” governance provided by the BJP in the three states.
“ I would like to congratulate the voters in the five States for the outcome in the Assembly polls, The outcome is big slap handed by the people in the States of Rajasethan, MP and Chhatisgarh to the ruling BJP in the three states and Narendra Modi dispensation at the Centre,” Raj said.
The MNS chief also congratulated the people of Gujarat who had nearly defeated the BJP in the Assembly polls held earlier. “The BJP used to call Rahul Gandhi a Pappu earlier. He has now earned respectability. We don’t need Ram Mandir in the country. But we need Ram rajya in the country. Having not done anything during the last four and a half years, the Modi Government has nothing to show to the people. That’s why Modi tried to fool the people through emotional issues,” Raj said.
Heaping praise on Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his effective leadership, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan said that his party had defeated the “Dhan Shakti” ( money power) of the BJP with “Jan Shakti” (people’s power).
Addressing the party workers gathered at the party’s south Mumbai office “Gandhi Bhavan” to celebrate the party’s victory in the Assembly polls in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Chavan said: “Under the leadership Rahul Gandhi, the Congress has defeated the Dhan Shakti (money power) of the BJP with Jan Shakti (people power) in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Now, we will win the upcoming Lok Sabha elections under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership”.
“Modi, Machine, Money have not worked in this election. The people have responded to Modi’s dictatorial politics with one slogan: Modiji jaane wale hai, Rahulji aane waale hai,” Chavan said.