Sat Nov 23 09:40:29 UTC 2024: ## Fadnavis’s BJP Triumphs in Maharashtra Elections, Securing Projected Landslide Victory

**Mumbai, India –** Devendra Fadnavis, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has secured a resounding victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, echoing his 2019 promise of a return to power. Preliminary results project a massive win for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, far surpassing its rivals, the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena.

Fadnavis, who secured a significant lead in the Nagpur South West constituency, received congratulatory calls from his mother amidst celebrations. A viral photo shows him embracing BJP Maharashtra unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. With the BJP projected to win over 130 seats (the majority mark is 145 in the 288-member assembly), compared to Congress and Shiv Sena’s projected 20 and 19 seats respectively, Fadnavis tweeted, “Ek hain toh safe hain. Modi hai toh mumkin hai” (With him, we are safe; with Modi, it’s possible).

This victory marks a significant comeback for Fadnavis, who in 2019 had famously stated, “Seeing my water recede, do not build a house on my shores, I am the sea and will come back.” His return to prominence follows a tumultuous period in Maharashtra politics. After the 2019 elections, a power struggle with the Shiv Sena led to a breakdown of their alliance, resulting in the formation of a government by the Shiv Sena with the Congress and NCP. However, a subsequent rebellion within the Shiv Sena, supported by the BJP, led to Eknath Shinde becoming Chief Minister with Fadnavis as his deputy in 2022. Further political realignment saw Ajit Pawar’s faction joining the government in 2023.

The BJP’s projected performance surpasses even its wins in 2014 (123 seats) and 2019 (105 seats), making it the first party since 1990 to consistently secure over 100 seats. The scale of this victory is expected to enhance Fadnavis’s influence within the state government.

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