Following the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, The Election Commission is likely to revoke the recognition of Raj Thackeray's party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), sources said. Experts indicate that the party risks losing its status if it fails to secure at least one Assembly seat or 8 per cent of the vote share in elections, they added. Notably, the MNS failed to open its account in the recently held Assembly elections and garnered a vote share of 1.55 per cent.
Amid concerns over the party's poor performance, Raj Thackeray is set to convene a meeting with party leaders at his residence at 10:30 am on Monday. The meeting is expected to focus on self-assessment and devising future strategies to address electoral challenges.
MNS fails to secure Assembly seat for first time since 2009
For the first time since its entry into electoral politics in 2009, the MNS will have no representation in the Maharashtra Assembly. None of the 125 candidates fielded by MNS, including Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray, could win the elections swept by the BJP-led Mahayuti. On Saturday, Raj Thackeray described the poll results as "unbelievable". The MNS had won 13 seats in the debut poll contest in 2009 powered by the sons-of-the-soil sentiment. However, in the 2014 and 2019 assembly polls, the party won one MLA each.
Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a landslide victory in the elections, winning 235 Assembly seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed only 49 seats. The Assembly election in the state was held in a single phase on November 20. The results of state elections were declared on November 23, and the names of elected legislative assembly members were published in the Maharashtra government state gazette vide the ECI's notification. This was done as per the provisions of section 73 of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
