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The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) plans to hold five joint rallies in Maharashtra in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. The achievement of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-II and the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra will be the combine’s key electoral plank.
The first rally will take place in Beed on March 10 in the underdeveloped Marathwada region where BJP deputy leader in the 15th Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde is pitted against Maharashtra minister of state for revenue and NCP leader Suresh Dhas.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar and state chief minister Prithviraj Chavan along with senior leaders of both the parties will share the dias.
Of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, the Congress is contesting 26 and NCP 22.
It is an acid test for Munde, who hails from the politically important Vanjari community, to retain Beed constituency as he has been cornered by NCP and Congress and also by anti Munde forces. Munde had won for the first time in 2009 elections from Beed.
On the other hand, NCP, which has succeeded in luring Munde's elder brother and nephew in addition to a couple of disgruntled BJP leaders and members into the party fold, is leaving no ston unturned to win Beed seat. Dhas, who deserted Munde before 2009 assembly elections, comes from the Maratha community and has been instrumental in challenging Munde's stronghold there.
Further, the Congress and NCP will also hold rallies in Nagpur, Nashik, Pune and Mumbai. Nagpur has been Congress’s bastion, where the party MP Vilas Muttemwar had won for a record seven times whie lost ones to BJP nominee Banwarilal Purohit. However, Congress faces a huge challenge from BJP former president Nitin Gadkari and Aam Aadmi Party leader Anjali Damania to retain its supremacy in Nagpur which happens to be the headquarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
