Congress will sound its poll bugle for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at the concluding ceremony of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on March 17, Maharashtra party chief Nana Patole said. The Yatra will enter the state from Nandurbar on March 12 and preparations for it are almost complete, Patole said.
“The concluding rally of the Nyay Yatra will be held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on March 17,” he said, adding that all permissions for the rally have been taken.
Patole said leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP group led by Sharad Pawar, will attend the event.
“We (Congress) will sound the poll bugle for the Lok Sabha elections there,” he said.
The Congress leaders on Thursday held a review meeting in the presence of the party’s state in-charge Ramesh Chennithala ahead of the yatra.
Patole attacks BJP
Patole attacked the BJP over the induction of several Opposition leaders ahead of the general elections and alleged that the saffron party is “stealing leaders from other parties as it does not have competent candidates of its own”.
He also took a swipe at the ruling party for not including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, an MP from Nagpur, in the first list of candidates.
“The name of such a national leader (Gadkari) should have been on the first list of BJP but it hasn't been done. Congress has a capable candidate for Nagpur and this time the party will win,” he said, adding they will field a candidate in Sangli as well.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP had won in 23 constituencies, followed by the undivided Shiv Sena, which bagged 18 seats.
While the NCP had got four seats, one seat each went to the Congress, AIMIM and an Independent candidate.
(With PTI inputs)
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