Maharashtra Poll Position: Congress On Vidarbha, Marathwada Tour From Saturday; Mahayuti Rallies From August 20

Buoyed by its recent success in the region in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has decided to focus on Vidarbha and Marathwada for the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The party, part of the Opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, aims to consolidate its position in these key regions, where it has historically held significant sway.

Beginning August 10, Congress’s state in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, along with other senior leaders, will embark on a comprehensive tour of Vidarbha and Marathwada. This tour is aimed at holding meetings across 10 key districts. These meetings, set to take place on August 10, 11, and 12 in Latur, Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), respectively will focus on the Marathwada region.

Subsequently, on August 13 and 14, meetings will be held in Buldhana, Akola, Washim, Amravati and Yavatmal districts in Vidarbha. The purpose of these meetings is two-fold. First, the senior Congress leadership, including state president Nana Patole and Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar, will gather insights from local party workers and leaders. Second, the party will deliberate on the strategies that need to be adopted at the grassroots level in various constituencies.

Apart from the Congress, the ruling alliance, Mahayuti, has also begun its groundwork for the Assembly elections. A crucial meeting of Mahayuti leaders, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, was held in Mumbai on Thursday night. The alliance has decided to conduct a series of coordination meetings and outreach tours across the state, with public rallies planned in every assembly constituency.

The Mahayuti tour is expected to kick off on August 20, starting from Kolhapur, with a visit to the revered Mahalaxmi Temple. The tour will span across seven divisions, with multiple rallies planned each day.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prasad Lad mentioned that the tour will last for 7-10 days, covering two to three assembly constituencies a day. The grand finale rally is set to take place in Mumbai.