After the grand Vajramuth rally in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, the Maha Vikas Aghadi has started preparations for the second in the series of six mega show of strength in Nagpur, the home to RSS headquarters and bastion of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The rally at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (earlier Aurangabad) - the headquarters of Marathwada region - on 2 April attracted huge crowds but issues between the three alliance partners have come to the fore.
The next rally would be held on April 14 in Nagpur, the headquarters of the Vidarbha region.
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On May 1, the MVA rally would be held in the state capital of Mumbai coinciding with the Maharashtra Diwas festivities.
On May 14, a rally is planned in Pune, the headquarters of Western Maharashtra, followed by May 28 in Kolhapur and then on June 3 in Nashik, the hub of North Maharashtra.
The Nagpur rally is going to be crucial as not only it is home to Fadnavis - but in the recent past, the MVA has given a blow during the MLC elections.
In the February MLC polls in Nagpur Division Teachers’ seat, Congressman Sudhakar Adbale, who was the candidate of the MVA defeated sitting two-time MLC Nago Ganar, the Independent candidate who was backed by the BJP. In Amravati Division Graduates’ seat, Dhiraj Lingade of the Congress, who was the candidate of the MVA, defeated Dr Ranjit Patil of the BJP, a two-time sitting MLC and a former minister in the erstwhile BJP-Shiv Sena government.
The first rally was addressed by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) and former Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire, a Matoshree loyalist, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Ajit Pawar and Dhananjay Munde of NCP and Congressmen - former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat. The preparations were overseen by Leader of Opposition in the Council Ambadas Danve.
Among the issues that surfaced during the first rally was the absence of state Congress President Nana Patole.
“I have spoken to Nana (Patole). He sounded unwell, he could barely speak,” said Thackeray-aide and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, adding that Patole also needed some rest as he had to travel to Surat during the filing of appeal by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against the conviction which led to his disqualification as an MP.
BJP leaders, however, took a jibe at the MVA saying that Patole distanced himself as the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP both had objected to Gandhi’s repeated attack on Veer Savarkar.
State BJP President Chandrashekar Bawankule said that the differences have surfaced because Thackeray was given a better chair.
Pawar, however said that he was amused that the opposition was discussing the chair. “He was given a different chair as he had undergone an operation,” he said.
Pawar also said that in the MVA mega rallies two speakers from each of the three parties would address gatherings.