In Maharashtra, the BJP strategically navigated uncertainty to gain influential leverage.

In Maharashtra, all parties, including the BJP, are grappling with the challenge of gauging the exact support base of the NCP and Shiv Sena factions. With the state sending the second-largest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha (48), after Uttar Pradesh, political dynamics are crucial. The BJP, alongside its allies, notably the Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Paksa in 2014, and solely the Shiv Sena in 2019, dominated the Lok Sabha elections, clinching 42 and 41 seats out of 48, respectively.

However, the landscape has shifted significantly for the upcoming 2024 elections due to internal divisions within the Shiv Sena and NCP. The BJP has formed an alliance with factions of these parties recognized as official by the Election Commission, while the Congress has aligned with factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, who view themselves as the legacy units. This political turbulence and ensuing uncertainty may present a formidable challenge for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Maharashtra. Here, three charts elucidate this complex scenario.