Staff Reporter :

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Sharad Pawar) Supremo Sharad Pawar will address election rallies for their respective candidates in Vidarbha in the coming week. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already announced its list of star campaigners. The list includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar from Vidarbha. Prime Minister Modi will hold 13 rallies in various parts of Maharashtra. Unlike last time, this time he will not address meeting in Nagpur. His visit will begin on Saturday November 9, when he will address rallies at Gondia and Akola.

 

His itinerary has not been announced officially yet, but sources say, he may grace the campaign meeting at Chimur too. During Lok Sabha elections, his rallies and speeches got huge applause from the public. Rahul Gandhi will flag off the ‘Save Constitution’ drive in Nagpur on November 6. Nagpur assumes significance as it has the headquarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Deekshabhoomi where Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar took deeksha of Buddhism in 1956. Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of Opposition in State Assembly, said, “Some social organisations have organised a Samvidhan sammelan at Suresh Bhat Auditorium on November 6 at 11 am. Rahul Gandhi will grace the convention. He is coming on the invitation of OBC Yuva Manch.” Sharad Pawar will also visit Nagpur and some parts of East Vidarbha where he will address campaign meetings. As per the information provided by senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, Pawar will arrive on Thursday, November 7, at Nagpur and will address a public meeting in Nagpur East constituency at 11 am for party candidate Duneshwar Pethe. Nagpur East is the stronghold of Bharatiya Janata Party where its candidates Krishna Khopde has maintained winning record for the last three terms. Pawar will go to Tiroda at 2.30 pm by a helicopter where he will take part in a rally and return to Katol by helicopter at 5 pm to grace the public meeting organised as part of campaigning for Salil Deshmukh. After a gap of about 23 years, Anil Deshmukh is not contesting Assembly polls this year. Pawar’s meeting is scheduled at Hinganghat on November 8 at 11 am.