In Maharashtra, if we are divided, we will be divided, but if we are united then the SAFE slogan has gained weight.
The Mahayuti alliance has returned to power in Maharashtra with a huge majority. This trio of BJP, Shiv Sena Shinde faction and NCP Ajit Pawar faction has defeated Maha Vikas Aghadi on all four sides. The credit for this victory also goes to the slogans that became the most discussed issue in Maharashtra politics this time. One of these mottos was “Bantenge to Katenge” and the other was “Ek hai to safe hain”. In the Maharashtra elections, Prime Minister Modi’s slogan ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’ seemed to completely dominate the slogans of the Congress and the opposition.
In Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance appears to be winning over 220 seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi appears to be limited to 55 seats. Congress, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar together could not achieve the expected feat. After the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP corrected the disturbed equation and created a new history in Maharashtra by stopping the polarization of Hindu votes. After the landslide victory, Devendra Fadnavis himself, referring to the slogan ‘Ek hai to safe hai’, wrote that if Modi is there, it is possible.
The slogan “Bantege to Katenge” was widely echoed.
In the elections, CM Yogi Adityanath had heated up the politics of Maharashtra by giving the slogan “Bantege a Katenge”. This slogan had become the center of electoral politics. After this, the NCP chief, an ally of the BJP, Ajit Pawar, came out against this slogan. Apart from this, Pankaja Munde and senior leader of Maharashtra Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan also opposed this slogan. Chavan had even said that these slogans of CM Yogi Adityanath have no relevance. I don’t think people like these. Similarly, Pankaja Munde had said that she would not support this slogan because I and Yogi Adityanath are from the same party. We have to work for development; that issue should not arise in Maharashtra.
Why was it necessary to protest?
The need to protest against CM Yogi Adityanath’s bantenge to kaatenge slogan arose because the basis of Ajit Pawar’s politics is completely different from the BJP’s ideology. To date, Ajit Pawar has never openly used the image of his Hindu religion. Apart from this, if we look at the political equation, the minority community participation among NCP supporters is also quite good. Therefore, it had become his obligation to distance himself from this motto. On behalf of NCP Ajit Pawar, tickets were also given to leaders like Zeeshan, son of Baba Siddiqui, Nawab Milak, Hasan and Sanna Malik, who had a good grip on the minority community. Exactly the same thing happened with Pankaja Munde and Ashok Chavan.
This is how the motto of ‘if one is sure’ has become so heavy.
The spark of protest against Maharashtra’s ‘Udh toh Katenge’ slogan reached Uttar Pradesh when CM Yogi’s aide Keshav Prasad Maurya made a statement against this slogan. Keshav Maurya said, “I don’t know in what context the CM said this, in such a situation it is not right for me to comment.” The BJP is contesting elections in the name of development. After this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself took the initiative and changed the entire game with the slogan “If there is one, we are safe” and defeated the opposition in the storm of an overwhelming majority.
If there is one, it’s safe! If Modi is there then it is possible! #Maharastra #Maharastra
– Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) November 23, 2024
The effect of the slogan is visible in the electoral results
In the election results of Maharashtra it is clear that the Mahayuti alliance has won the Hindu vote en masse. The reason for this is believed to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s motto: “Ek hai to safe hai”. Political analysts themselves also agree with this, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan removed the disunity that had started appearing in the party after CM Yogi Adityanath’s bantenge to katenge slogan. Apart from this, the party managed to convey to the people the motto that there should be no division between different religions, castes and communities. I have to vote for the new India.
He benefited from the jihad vote and fatabs.
The BJP established that narrative against electoral jihad in the elections that directly united the Hindu vote in Maharashtra. Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered losses instead of gains due to the kind of fatwas issued in the madrasas before the vote. Due to these statements, voters who were turning away from the BJP in the name of Maratha reservation and other issues returned to the party again.
