'Ajit Pawar got more seats but...': Sharad Pawar's first reaction after major blow in Maharashtra  

Following a significant defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections, NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar admitted on Sunday that the results were unexpected and vowed to analyse the reasons behind the loss. "We have been in public life for many years, and we have never had such an experience. But now that we have, we will think about it, understand why it happened, and go in front of the people with a new enthusiasm," Pawar stated in a briefing.

Pawar emphasised that the campaign had been a united effort. "I travelled across different districts during the campaign, and whether it was our party, Shiv Sena (UBT), or Congress, everyone worked collectively. The result, however, did not match the efforts we made. There was no lack of coordination anywhere."

Addressing the success of Ajit Pawar's faction, which secured more seats in the assembly polls, Pawar said, "Ajit Pawar may have got more seats, but people know who founded the NCP."

Ajit Pawar's NCP faction has emerged as the third-largest party in the state with 41 seats, trailing the BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. In contrast, Sharad Pawar's faction managed to win just 10 seats. The defeat comes five months after the NCP-SP achieved significant success in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 8 out of 10 seats and leading in 32 assembly segments.