Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday said the Maharashtra assembly poll results are unbelievable and unacceptable and asked if the ruling alliance's Ladki Bahin Yojana had managed to end farm woes and other problems faced by citizens.
Against most predictions of a close race between the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi and the ruling Mahayuti, the results have been spectacularly lopsided with the BJP itself coming close to getting a majority in the 288-member assembly.
Congress stalwarts like former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and CLP leader Balasaheb Thorat lost from Karad South and Sangamner, respectively, while state unit chief Nana Patole was trailing by a thin margin in Sakoli.
"The Maharashtra assembly polls are unbelievable and unacceptable. Did farm woes, price rise, unemployment, corruption end because of Ladki Bahin Yojana," Chennithala asked at a press conference.
The victorious Mahayuti has given a large part of the credit for the stellar showing to the scheme, under which women with an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh get Rs 1500 as monthly aid.
The ruling alliance leaders had said this amount would be increased to Rs 2,100 if they retained power.
"We will study the results in detail and go back to the people. We will continue to raise issues of the people," said Chennithala, who is the party's Maharashtra in charge.
The defeat of senior leaders like Balasaheb Thorat and Prithviraj Chavan was not expected at all, the Kerala MLA added. -- PTI