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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was leading a roadshow in Maharashtra's Nagpur yesterday when a group of BJP supporters started waving party flags from atop a building. Ms Gandhi Vadra responded with a smile and wished them good luck for the Assembly poll fight on Wednesday. The Congress leader, however, added a parting shot, and said the election would be won by the Maha Vikas Aghadi bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP's Sharad Pawar faction.
The headquarters of BJP's ideological parent RSS are located in Nagpur and the city is considered a BJP stronghold. The Nagpur Lok Sabha seat has been held by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari since 2014 and four out of its six Assembly segments are currently with the BJP.
गढ़ में घुस कर ललकारना इसे कहते हैं
नागपुर में गरजीं @priyankagandhi
RSS और भाजपा वालों शुभकामनाएँ लेकिन जीतेगी तो महाविकास आघाड़ी ही! pic.twitter.com/YMj5ynuvpg
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) November 17, 2024
Ms Gandhi Vadra, who is fighting her first electoral contest in the Wayanad bypoll, led the roadshow on the last day of campaigning before the November 20 polls in Maharashtra. The roadshow passed through Nagpur West and Nagpur Central constituencies and drew a huge crowd. Nagpur West is currently held by the Congress and Nagpur Central has been with the BJP since 2009.
As the campaign vehicle moved through the crowd, Ms Gandhi Vadra waved to people standing on buildings and on the roadside. Towards the end of the roadshow, a group of people gathered on a building on the route, waved BJP flags and raised the party's slogans. The Congress supporters started raising their own slogans. At one point, Ms Gandhi Vadra took the microphone and addressed those waving BJP flags, "Friends in the BJP, wish you all the best for the election. But it is the Maha Vikas Aghadi that will win." The remark drew loud cheers from Congress supporters.
According to a PTI report, Congress candidate for Nagpur Central, Bunty Shelke, and BJP supporters had a heated exchange after the roadshow. Local police said they did not let matter escalate.
Maharashtra votes on Wednesday in what is expected to be a very exciting electoral contest. In the last Assembly election, the NDA alliance of BJP and undivided Shiv Sena had scored a thumping victory, winning 161 seats in the 288-member Assembly. However, the long-time allies parted ways due to differences over rotational Chiefministership. Soon after, Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray tied up with the Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
This government toppled in 2022 when Eknath Shinde led a mutiny that split the Shiv Sena. The Shinde Sena joined hands with the BJP. Later, Ajit Pawar's rebellion divided the NCP ranks too. The junior Pawar then joined the ruling coalition. In this election, the two factions of Shiv Sena and NCP are on opposite sides of the political divide, making it a prestige contest.
In the Lok Sabha election earlier this year, the Opposition bloc of Congress-Sena UBT-NCP (Sharad Pawar) scored big by winning 30 out of Maharashtra's 48 seats. The Mahayuti won 17 seats. This time, the Maha Vikas Aghadi is looking to clinch a big win, while Mahayuti has gone all out to make a comeback from the Lok Sabha setback.