'Owaisi, Mayawati Contributed to It': Ex-Ally Shiv Sena Takes a Swipe at BJP's Poll Win

The party Shiv Sena broke its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019 after the Maharashtra state assembly polls. Since then, the long-time-friends-turned-bitter foes have been at loggerheads and continue to slam each other on various issues.

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party registered a thumping victory in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) the party's former ally Shiv Sena took a swipe at it.

Shiv Sena on Friday remarked that it was Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi who actually contributed to the BJP's triumph in UP.

Talking to the media, Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson and parliamentarian Sanjay Raut said: "The BJP achieved a great victory. Uttar Pradesh was their state, still, [Samajwadi Party chief] Akhilesh Yadav's seats have increased three times, from 42 to over 125".

"Mayawati and Owaisi have contributed to the BJP's win, so they must be given the Padma Vibhushan [India's second-highest civilian award], Bharat Ratna [the highest civilian award]", he noted.

Talking about the BJP's victory in four of the five state assembly elections, Raut said: "The BJP has won in four states, we don't have anything to be upset about. We join them in this moment of happiness".

But he joked, reminding media persons that despite its victory in four states, the saffron party's (BJP) state chief candidate lost in Uttarakhand, both deputy state chiefs lost in Goa, and a deputy state chief lost in Uttar Pradesh too.

Raut also took a jab at the BJP's dismal performance in Punjab, saying that the party was rejected completely in the state.

"The prime minister, home minister, defence minister, everyone campaigned tremendously in Punjab, why did you lose in Punjab? Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa were yours already, which is fine. But, you have lost more in Punjab as compared to Congress and Shiv Sena in Uttar Pradesh", the Shiv Sena parliamentarian said.

In the politically significant state of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its allies won a total of 273 of the 403 seats available.

The BJP won 255 on its own while its main opposition, the Samajwadi Party, managed to grab 111 seats.

Mayawati's BSP received a vote share of 12.8 percent, winning just one seat while the Owaisi-led AIMIM failed to open its account in this election and its vote share stood at a 0.49 percent.

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