BJP plans Modi’s Maharashtra campaign blitz: 6 days, almost 12 rallies

During the Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister addressed major rallies in 18 constituencies in the state, covering the constituencies of Pune, Nashik, Nanded, Chandrapur, Ramtek, Wardha, Parbhani, Kolhapur, Solapur, Satara, Madha, Dharashiv, Latur, Ahmednagar, Beed, Nandurbar, Kalyan, and Dindori. Of these 18 seats, the BJP won only Satara while ally Shiv Sena bagged Kalyan. The BJP, damaged, among other things, by the Opposition’s campaign narrative on the Constitution and reservation, saw its overall tally drop from 23 to 9 while the Mahayuti overall bagged just 17 constituencies.

Modi is scheduled to address public meetings in Dhule, Nashik, Akola, Nanded, Chandrapur, Chimur, Solapur, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), Navi Mumbai, and Mumbai. One or two more rallies will be decided later, according to BJP’s poll managers.

Maharashtra districts where Modi is addressing rallies

The PM’s rallies on the first day will be in Dhule and Nashik in North Maharashtra, the region that has an extensive RSS network and where the BJP managed to take a lead last time around by winning 13 seats, followed by the undivided Shiv Sena, its then ally, that won six. The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coalition won 12 constituencies. The rest went to others, including the AIMIM.

However, unrest among farmers and a consolidation of Muslims and Marathas against the BJP damaged the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha polls. In Dhule, former Union Minister Subash Bhamre lost to the Congress’s Shobha Bacchav though he took the lead in five of the six Assembly segments as he fell behind in one, Malegaon Central, that has a huge Muslim electorate.

In Nashik, Modi is expected to reach out to onion farmers who had been angered by an onion export ban and reduction of export duties. In the run-up to the parliamentary elections, the Centre had lifted the export ban.

According to the schedule, Modi will address three public rallies in Vidarbha, which has 62 seats. Thirty-six of the BJP and the Congress’s 76 direct fights across the state are set to take place in the region, where the fight for the cotton belt will determine who takes home the prize and, potentially, forms the government in the state. Modi will address rallies in Chimur and Chandrapur in eastern Vidarbha and Akola in western Vidarbh, addressing cotton, soybean, and paddy farmers. The PM is expected to address concerns about agrarian distress in this region in these rallies.

Among the high-profile contestants in this region are Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis who will look to win a sixth term from Nagpur South West, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kampti, and senior minister Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur.

The drought-prone Marathwada region, which has 46 constituencies, will see two rallies of the PM, one in Nanded and the other in Chhatrapati Sambhaj Nagar. Marathas will determine the outcome here and with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil going back on his decision to back candidates here, it is an open question on who it will benefit. “Even if we retain our tally from the last election (16 out of 46), it will be a huge success. It is a tough contest,” said a BJP leader.

The PM will also touch down in western Maharashtra, addressing public meetings in Pune and Solapur. This region, with 72 seats, has been an NCP-Congress stronghold for decades and the BJP here will look to limit the damage. It will attempt to paper over local-level organisational differences using the Modi factor and bank on infighting in the Congress in places such as Kolhapur to dent the Opposition.

In Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the PM is expected to focus on the larger economic message of the Mahayuti and speak about the infrastructure development that both the state and Central governments have brought to the state. He is also expected to counter the Opposition’ campaign about Maharashtra and Mumbai being undermined as the state is losing out on big-ticket projects to Vedanta Foxconn and Tata Airbus to Gujarat.

“When the PM holds a rally the message goes across region covering all constituencies. It appeals to a wider audience and vote bank,” said a senior BJP functionary in the state.