Poll results show yearning for 'BJP-mukt' regime: Sena

A day after the BJP received a poll drubbing in three Hindi heartland states, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday said the election results indicate people's desire to have a "BJP-free" establishment.

The Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra, said people have brought "those flying in the air back to the ground".

Referring to the resignation of RBI Governor Urjit Patel, the Sena, in an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', alleged that the country was being run according to the "whims" of four-five businessmen, and this was "breaking" important institutions like the Reserve Bank of India.

The Congress Tuesday dealt a body blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and emerged as the single largest party in Madhya Pradesh.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) recorded a landslide win for a second consecutive term in Telangana while the Mizo National Front (MNF) scripted a spectacular victory in the northeastern state of Mizoram by dislodging the Congress in its last bastion in the Northeast to return to power after 10 years.

The Sena said these results have busted the myth that no party except the BJP can hold ground and people have to depend on it for existence.

The BJP first "drove away" allies and later lost important states, it said, adding that elections cannot be won merely on the back of big talks.

"The results clearly show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah's dream of making the country Congress-mukt has gone to the dust in BJP's own regime. People of these states have indicated at a 'BJP-mukt' regime," the Marathi publication said.

Farmers in Rajasthan were facing difficulties and when cultivators in Madhya Pradesh hit the streets demanding justice, bullets were fired at them, it said referring to the Mandsaur incident, and claimed tillers exact"revenge" in the recent elections.

In June 2017, during a protest in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district by farmers demanding loan waiver, five cultivators were killed in police firing.

The Sena again hit out at the government's decision of demonetisation, dubbing it as a "farce" which "ruined the country's economy".

"People lost their jobs, inflation increased. At that time, our prime minister was playing world politics and kept on flying. He directly landed for campaigning in four states. His childish talks were filled with issues of faith. This turned against him," the publication said.

It said Urjit Patel, who had initially supported demonetisation, finally resigned from the RBI governor's post "tired of the government's functioning".

Patel, who had a run-in with the government over several key issues including the central bank's autonomy, resigned from his job on Monday, citing personal reasons. He had more than eight months left in his three-year tenure.