1990: The election that shaped the next 25 years

Congress: 141

Shiv Sena: 52

BJP: 42

In the run up to the elections in 1990, there was a rebellion within the Congress against Sharad Pawar’s leadership. According to Pawar, this was orchestrated by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Pawar prevailed eventually, but the damage had been done.

The year 1990 saw the emergence of Shiv Sena as a real force in electoral politics and its combination with the BJP relegated the left parties in the state into oblivion from which they never recovered.