Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will participate in the Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) month-long outreach programme scheduled across Maharashtra in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday confirmed that Mr. Shah has been invited and is likely to flag off the Maha Janadesh Yatra on August 1. Mr. Modi will attend the concluding day of the event, for which a date is yet to be finalised, senior party functionaries said.
A senior BJP minister, who is part of the event management committee, said, “The Maha Janadesh Yatra will start from Amravati and will be flagged off by Mr. Shah, while the honourable Prime Minister will conclude the event in Nashik.”
Last week, at the BJP’s State executive meeting held in Mumbai under the leadership of working president J.P. Nadda, party leaders announced their intention to reach out to different sections of society through the State-wide tour. Mr. Fadnavis will cover 152 of the 288 Assembly constituencies over a period of one month, and is likely to address 150 rallies, senior party leaders said.
30-district tour
The Maharashtra BJP clarified it has yet to receive confirmation from the Prime Minster’s Office, but does have one from Mr. Shah’s office. The yatra will cover a distance of over 4,000 km across 30 districts.
“This is a new war, we need a new strategy to fight the enemy. There is no point resting on our laurels; even the Pandavas did not do so after winning the war in the Mahabharata . We must work on this new strategy and take it to the people,” Mr. Fadnavis told party workers in the meeting. “The planning of this yatra must be flawless and ensure that maximum people participate in it,” he said.
The BJP yatra is being seen as a move to counter the Shiv Sena’s Jan Aashirwad Yatra, in which Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray is travelling across major districts. The tour has fuelled speculation that the party is preparing Mr. Thackeray for the role of chief minister.
