Maharashtra Election Result 2024: Five Reasons That Helped BJP Tame Congress, Maha Vikas Aghadi

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance shifted to a freebie-driven campaign strategy, inspired by the success of welfare schemes like the Ladli Behna scheme in Madhya Pradesh, which provided cash handouts to women following this populist initiative, in Maharashtra, the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana became a game changer for the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Vidarbha's assembly constituencies play a crucial role in Maharashtra politics, with a total of 62 seats out of the 288 in the legislative assembly. After a disappointing performance in Vidarbha during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, where the BJP secured only 3 of the region's 10 seats, the party made extensive efforts to improve its prospects. As a result, it is currently leading in most of the Vidarbha constituencies.

Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi failed to make an impact in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, with the ruling Mahayuti alliance heading for a landslide victory. 

BJP top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath, used slogans like "Ek hain toh safe hain" and "Batenge toh katenge" during the campaign in the recent election. Despite the controversy surrounding these slogans, the underlying message was a call for Hindu unity and OBC consolidation in favour of the ruling alliance.

The caste dynamics in Maharashtra posed a challenge for the BJP-led Mahayuti, with the Maratha quota unrest still simmering after impacting the alliance in the Lok Sabha polls. However, this unrest may have led to a counter-consolidation among OBCs, the BJP's traditional supporters. Marathas, with multiple options like the two Shiv Senas and the NCP, could have split their vote.