NCP chief Ajit Pawar
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: After the drubbing in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar will hit the campaign trail of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls from the tribal and onion belt of Dindori in Nashik district from August 8, the anniversary of Quit India Movement.
Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President, during the massive outreach programme would speak on the various initiatives that he announced as a finance minister, particularly in the Budget 2024-25.
The NCP’s Jan Samman Yatra would traverse through Mumbai-Konkan, Western Maharashtra, North Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.
Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle and mentor Sharad Pawar in June-July 2023 and switched over to the BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) and later successfully claimed the NCP party and the iconic clock symbol.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar’s NCP contested four Lok Sabha seats of which the state unit President Sunil Tatkare won the sole seat of Raigad.
Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar unsuccessfully contested the Baramati seat against Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar. However, later Sunetra Pawar was made a Rajya Sabha member.
“The Jan Samman Yatra will operate in a hybrid model where the party leadership will travel in a bus and our people will accompany us in cars,” said Tatkare.
Ajit Pawar, is expected to address dozens of meetings, in which the benefits of the government schemes like Majhi Ladki Bahin, Annapurna Yojana, Baliraja Vij Savlat Yojana, Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana and Bonus of Rs 5,000 per hectare for cotton and soya bean farmers will be discussed.
Tatkare said that Jan Samman Yatra will stay in North Maharashtra for five days and cover 11 Assembly constituencies of three districts. “Ajit Pawar will visit Dindori, Devlali, Sinnar, Niphad, Yeola, Kalwan, Chandwad, Dhule, Amalner, Kopargaon and Malegaon during his stay in North Maharashtra,” said Tatkare adding that Jan Samman Yatra will cover all of Western Maharashtra, Mumbai and Vidarbha in its first phase which will culminate on 31 August.
Tatkare was accompanied by national Working President Praful Patel and state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
The NCP leadership said that the Jan Samman Yatra is not limited to constituencies of NCP MLAs and they will also visit seats held by Shiv Sena and the BJP as the party wishes to put up a united face of Maha Yuti alliance.
Patel asserted that Ajit Pawar will meet party workers to boost their confidence while he will spend time with BJP and Shiv Sena workers to promote the camaraderie among the workers of all the major parties of Maha Yuti alliance.
“Ajit Pawar would also meet the workers of Maha Yuti’s alliance partners’ BJP and Shiv Sena as we have to win the upcoming elections together. The objective of this yatra is to explain to the people that NCP stands for the common man of Maharashtra and we have implemented our schemes without any discrimination or prejudice in favour or against any community or class,” said Patel.
Bhujbal asserted that NCP is taking out Jan Samman Yatra to alienate the fear from the minds of our people. “The opposition has been building a negative narrative and promoting fear-psychosis,” he added.