In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was said to have catalysed the Shiv Sena-BJP's defeat, paving the way for the victory of the Congress-NCP in Maharashtra. The past may have come back to haunt the Opposition Congress-NCP with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) emerging as the spoiler for it in around eight seats, contributing to the defeat of veterans like Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde.
The VBA, which allied with the All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), also secured a major political opening after Imtiaz Jaleel of the party led by the Owaisi brothers won from the saffron stronghold of Aurangabad. He is the first AIMIM MP from Maharashtra, and from outside the party's traditional pocket-borough in Hyderabad.