Congress's overconfidence cost us: Team Uddhav Thackeray on Maharashtra decimation

Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, said the Maha Vikas Aghadi should have projected Uddhav Thackeray as its Chief Minister face.

"After the Lok Sabha election results, the Congress was overconfident in Maharashtra like in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. This was reflected in the results. Its attitude during seat-sharing negotiations hurt us. Uddhav ji should have been projected as the Chief Minister's face. Not doing so harmed our prospects. The results would have been different if this was done," Danve told the media.

"They were getting ready with the suit and tie even before the results," he went on to say.

The Mahayuti comprising Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) won a massive 230 of 288 seats.

Out of 230, the BJP dominated with a tremendous strike rate, winning 132, the highest ever by the saffron party in the state.

In the opposition camp, the Congress contested 103 seats but won only 16 while the Sena (UBT), which contested 89 seats, managed to win 20 seats. The third ally, Sharad Pawar's NCP, contested 87 seats and won 10.

This comes amid talks between Mahayuti alliance partners, including caretaker Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ajit Pawar, over the next chief minister of Maharashtra. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has presided over a meeting held to pick the chief minister.

Eknath Shinde, who is in the race for the top post in Maharashtra, on Wednesday said he has left the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If media reports are to be believed, the politically crucial state of Maharashtra will have a BJP face as its next chief minister.

Mahayuti's alliance partners will have deputy CMs from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party.

The suspense over the CM's post started after the Mahayuti decimated the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the November 20 assembly elections.