MVA to hold mega rallies after Independence Day festivities

Though the strength of the Maha Vikas Aghadi has significantly depleted over the last three years, the leaders of the tri-party coalition would hit the ground post the Independence Day festivities and hold the 'Vajramuth' (iron fist) series of mega rallies across Maharashtra.

The leadership of MVA comprising Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led group of Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar-Supriya Sule-led NCP group would also hold talks with smaller allies and reach out to people.

The back-to-back BJP-engineered splits in Shiv Sena (June 20, 2022) and NCP (July 2, 2023) has rattled the marquee opposition.

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Pawar and Thackeray, who had crafted the MVA along with Congress, would also be undertaking separate tours of the state and reach out to the people after the splits and rejuvenate the respective parties -- along with the 'Vajramuth' rallies.

After August 17, the MVA allies will join 'Vajramuth' series of rallies as well as workers' conclaves to prepare for 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.

The Vajramuth series was a major show of strength against the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. However after the split in the NCP, the political dynamics of Maharashtra has changed.

The first rally was held at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (earlier Aurangabad), the headquarters of Marathwada region, on April 2 followed by April 14 in Nagpur, the headquarters of the Vidarbha region.

On May 1, the MVA rally was held in the state capital of Mumbai coinciding with the 'Maharashtra Diwas' festivities.

On May 14, a rally was 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.

However, the rallies of Pune, Kolhapur and Nashik had to be postponed.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the MVA leadership on Wednesday night in Mumbai and the schedule would be announced in the days to come.

Abu Asim Azmi of Samajwadi Party and Kapil Patil of the Janata Dal (United) were also present at the meeting.

Taking on the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar dispensation would not be an easy task.

Thackeray, who now heads Shiv Sena (UBT), state NCP President Jayant Patil and his colleague Jitendra Awhad, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, his counterpart in Council Ambadas Danve, state Congress President Nana Patole and former Chief Ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan will draw up the plans.

"The MVA leaders will tour the state soon and hold meetings at the village and district level to apprise people of how the central and state government schemes are just an eyewash as they are just advertisements,” said Danve.