Uddhav takes stock of Shiv Sena (UBT) poll loss; defeated candidates raise EVM issue

Mumbai: Some candidates of Shiv Sena (UBT) who lost recent Maharashtra assembly polls pointed fingers at the functioning of EVMs during their interaction with the party head Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday.

Thackeray took stock of lacklustre performance of his party at a meeting held at his residence in Mumbai.

Some legislators who lost the polls raised doubts about the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), said a former MLA who attended the meeting.

Thackeray appealed to the party leaders not to lose hope and work to rebuild the party.

A day earlier, Thackeray met with all victorious MLAs of Shiv Sena (UBT), a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The Thackeray-led party had won 20 out of 97 seats contested in the elections.

The poll verdict saw the Mahayuti coalition, comprising Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, retaining power with a massive mandate, pushing the MVA to margins.

The Mahayuti won 230 seats and MVA only 46 in the 288-member House.

Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) emerged as the largest party in the opposition camp by winning 20 seats, followed by Congress which bagged 16 constituencies, while the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) sits at the bottom with a tally of 10 seats.