We lost seats not people's support, says Maharashtra BJP chief at party convention

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said his party maintained its support among people despite losing seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

He was addressing the party's state convention in Pune, which is being attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the party's state in charge and Union minister Bhupender Yadav, co-incharge Ashwini Vaishnaw, among others.

"The BJP lost some seats in the Lok Sabha elections, but our voter base remains strong. There is no need to worry about it. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP secured 1,33,08,961 votes. The number increased in the subsequent assembly elections, with the BJP receiving 1,47,09,276 votes," Bawankule pointed out.

"In the 2019 general elections, the BJP obtained 1,49,12,139 votes. In the 2024 general elections, we got 1,49,13,914 votes. This clearly indicates the support for the BJP among the people remains unwavering. Nonetheless, we only secured nine seats in this Lok Sabha election," he added.

The BJP's tally at the national level came down from 303 seats to 240, while it went down from 23 to nine in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, results of which were announced on June 4.

Bawankule said the party had put in all efforts but a fake narrative led to losses, an apparent reference to the opposition's charge that the BJP wanted 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations.

Meanwhile, in a post on X, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said he could not attend the convention due to illness.