Maharashtra election 2024 updates: PM Modi mocks Maha Vikas Aghadi, says its ‘gaadi’ lacks wheels, brakes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold nine rallies across Maharashtra this week, starting with his first in Dhule on Friday, as part of the BJP’s campaign for the state assembly elections.
Addressing a rally in Dhule, PM Modi promised continued development for the state under the Mahayuti government and attacked the Congress party on various grounds.
PM Modi also accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc parties of “plotting” against Kashmir after recent ruckus in the J&K assembly over resolution calling for the restoration of Article 370. PM Modi will address another in Nashik today.
On November 9, PM Modi will speak in Akola at noon and in Nanded at 2 pm. On November 12, he will address rallies in Chimur and Solapur and join a roadshow in Pune in the evening.
His final rallies are planned for November 14 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Raigad, and Mumbai. The 288-seat Maharashtra state legislative assembly election is set for November 20, with results to be counted three days later.
The BJP is running as part of the Mahayuti alliance, which includes chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Opposing them is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), and the Congress party.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that he did not request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a rally in his Baramati constituency, as the contest there is withinn the family. Ajit Pawar, the sitting MLA, is facing his nephew, Yugendra Pawar, who is contesting from the rival Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar.
Sharad Pawar, chief of NCP (SP) said on Thursday that the people of Maharashtra are seeking change and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will work to offer them an alternative after the upcoming state assembly elections.
He also expressed support for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s call for a caste census. Pawar made these remarks at Nagpur airport, ahead of his public meetings related to the November 20 state elections.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra has promised various welfare measures ahead of the assembly elections. These include ₹3,000 per month for women, free state transport travel, loan waivers up to ₹3 lakh for farmers and ₹4,000 monthly allowance for unemployed youth.
Moreover, health insurance of up to ₹25 lakh and free medicines have been also promised. The current BJP-led government offers ₹1,500 to eligible women under the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme and plans to increase it to ₹2,100.