New Delhi:

Congress’s Shashi Tharoor told NDTV today that the Opposition bloc INDIA is heading for a massive victory in Maharashtra — the state where they were able to win only a handful of the 48 seats in 2019. The BJP, too, is aware of this, he said. Pointing to the party’s open invitation for anyone to join up, he said it was a mark of growing desperation.

Since 2019, Maharashtra has seen seismic changes in the political landscape — including the breakdown of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the split in two key parties of the state, the Sena and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.

The voters’ mood in the state has been unreadable.

Mr Tharoor, though, said he got a very positive response in the public meetings he attended in the state.

“Yesterday I did two constituencies in Bombay City, Mumbai city, and this morning I went into a third one and did an interactive session with about 350 people. I have to say in each place the concerns I saw the passion I saw the enthusiasm I saw leaves me feeling very upbeat and very positive. I think we’re heading for a very big victory in Maharashtra,” he told NDTV.

After Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra sends the largest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha, 48, and as such, a victory there is crucial. In 2019, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena had won 41 seats. With the split though, then Eknath Shinde faction had walked away with the maximum number of the Sena’s 23 MPS.

This time, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena will be contesting on 21 seats, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar) on 10, and the Congress on 17 seats.

On the other side, the BJP is contesting 28 seats, the Shiv Sena (Shinde) 15 seats, the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP four seats, of which it has given one to the Rashtriya Samaj Party.