Prime Minister and key BJP campaigner Narendra Modi will address at least a dozen rallies across Assembly poll-bound Maharashtra from November 8 to 14, while Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, will be on a week-long campaign trail from November 12.
The electioneering will begin to peak when Modi addresses the first two rallies in north Maharashtra - Dhule and Nashik - on Friday, while he will hold public rallies at Akola and Nanded on November 9. And at Chandrapur, Chimur, Solapur, and Pune on November 12. Later on November 14, he will address rallies at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (erstwhile Aurugabad), Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, and Mumbai..
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will be other key campaigners for the BJP. While Fadnavis is expected to address 60 rallies, Gadkari will hold 50-odd rallies across the state.
A rabble-rouser that he is, Modi - who had addressed 18 rallies during the recent Lok Sabha polls - will once again try to whip up frenzy among the people harping on the now-familiar issues. Given that the Prime Minister had not elicited the desired impact from voters during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, it remains to be seen if the Modi factor will work in this election.
At their rallies, the BJP leaders will focus on the MahaYuti government’s schemes and achievements like the Ladli Behna Yojana, an electricity waiver for 44 lakh farmers, and other initiatives that are personally benefiting the public. There will also be a refrain on re-electing the “double-engine” government in Maharashtra.
From the Congress side, Mallikarjun Kharge will hold a series of rallies across the state from November 13 to 18. Rahul Gandhi will undertake an extensive campaign on November 12, 14 and 16, while Priyanka Gandhi will take a break from her campaigning in the Wayanad LS by-polls to canvass to campaign for the Congress-led MVA candidates on November 13, 16 and 17.
