Samajwadi Party exits Maha Vikas Aghadi after Uddhav's close aide's remark on Babri Masjid

In a significant setback for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Maharashtra's opposition, the Samajwadi Party announced its departure from the coalition today, following a controversial statement from a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray regarding the Babri Masjid demolition.

On the 32nd anniversary of the demolition, Milind Narvekar, a leader from the Shiv Sena (UBT), shared a post on social media featuring a photo of the Babri Mosque alongside a quote from Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, which stated, “I am proud of those who did this.” The post also included images of Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray.

The Samajwadi Party, which holds two seats in the Maharashtra Assembly, reacted strongly to the incident. After other MVA parties boycotted the oath-taking ceremony today, Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi and party leader Rais Shaikh took their oaths, defying the boycott.

Azmi criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT) for their actions, stating, “An advertisement was given by Shiv Sena (UBT) in a newspaper congratulating those who demolished Babri Masjid. His aide has also posted on X hailing the demolition of the mosque. We are quitting the MVA. If anyone in the MVA speaks such language, what is the difference between the BJP and them? Why should we stay with them?”

In the recent Maharashtra elections, the Congress party contested 103 seats but secured only 16, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 out of 89 contested seats, and the NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, won just 10 out of 87 seats.

Rais Shaikh emphasized the importance of the MVA's founding principles, stating, “We are still a part of the MVA. The MVA was formed on two key principles: protecting the Constitution and upholding secular values.” He urged the Shiv Sena to clarify its stance in light of the recent comments.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar's NCP faction, won a decisive 230 of the 288 seats in the Assembly elections. Following this, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister on December 5, with Shinde and Pawar as Deputy Chief Ministers.

In response to the election results, newly-elected MVA MLAs staged a walkout during the oath-taking ceremony, alleging that the ruling coalition's victory was influenced by the manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Uddhav Thackeray stated, “We boycotted the oath-taking ceremony today as the use of EVMs is murdering democracy. This is not the mandate of the public; it is the mandate of EVM and the Election Commission of India.”

Other opposition leaders, including Congress's Nana Patole and NCP's Jitendra Awhad, echoed concerns about the ruling alliance's “undemocratic attitude” and called for a return to ballot paper elections.