New Delhi: Ahead of the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Maharashtra, the state Congress will hold a brainstorming session on the nature of its campaign for the coming polls as well as the contentious issue of seat-sharing.
According to party insiders, the grand old party is keen to roll out a social welfare guarantees-based campaign ahead of the assembly polls on the lines of the model tested earlier in southern states Telangana and Karnataka, where the party was able to dislodge the ruling BRS and the BJP respectively.
Further, Congress is keen that it should get the largest share of the total 288 assembly seats that have to be divided between the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi that includes the Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP.
The problem is that the Congress and the NCP had contested the previous 2019 assembly polls in Maharashtra jointly with 147 and 141 seats respectively but in 2024 the MVA also includes the Shiv Sena UBT. As per informal discussions among the allies, the Congress may get around 120 seats, Sena UBT around 80 seats and NCP-SP around 80 seats.
“The state unit will discuss the coming polls over a two-day session July 11 and 12. A wide range of issues will be discussed. AICC in charge Ramesh Chennithala will chair the session. The MVA is united against the ruling combine and has a very strong chance of coming to power,” AICC secretary in charge of Maharashtra Ashish Dua told ETV Bharat.
According to party insiders, they want to firm up an internal view on the campaign and seat-sharing issues ahead of LoP Rahul Gandhi’s visit on July 14 during which the former Congress chief will walk a stretch of the well-known Ashadhi Wari yatra that will conclude in Pandharpur. Party insiders said NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, who had kicked off the yatra, himself invited the LoP to join the annual event as it will send a positive signal among the voters. Rahul Gandhi is also likely to meet the state leaders to review poll preparations, the insiders said.
“The yatra is popular across the state and celebrates the local saints who preached inclusive values,” said Dua. Maharashtra Congress Working President Mohamad Arif Naseen Khan told ETV Bharat that, “The plight of the farmers, Maratha reservation, unemployment, corruption, 30 percent hike in power charges would be major planks against the state government. There is a problem with new smart power meters. The middle and the lower middle class are suffering due to inflated power bills. We will launch a protest against it with the power department.”
“The way voters in the southern states of Telangana and Karnataka were attracted to our guarantees is a very good model on how to make promises related to social welfare. The same can be followed in Maharashtra also as the people are angry with the ruling coalition that tried to copy our scheme for women’s allowance,” he said.
Noting the alliance was formidable in the state, party insiders said that BJP Maharashtra SC Morcha chief Sudhakar Bhalerao was likely to join the NCP-SP indicating the mood among the rivals.
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