Uddhav begins poll tours already
Even though there are no major elections in the upcoming days, except the bypoll for the Member of state Legislative Council (MLC), Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena will be on a wind-storm tour to Kolhapur, the political epicentre of Western Maharashtra on the weekend. He will address as many as six public rallies in the district.
Interestingly, Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister, will also be in Kolhapur on the same day. Both leaders will take a halt at Kolhapur on Friday at different places.
Thackeray and Fadnavis recently met on the death anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray on October 17. On November 24, though, both leaders will be in Kolhapur. They will engage in different programs and there is no possibility of meeting each other in the same city.
Out of ten assembly constituencies in Kolhapur district, the Sena has legislators in six constituencies. In his two days tour, Thackeray will meet farmers and address the rally in Chandgad tehsil which represents Sandhyadevi Kupekar, legislator of Nationalist Congress party (NCP). Thackeray will also attend various functions in Hatkanagale, Shirol and Kolhapur (North) constituencies represented by the Shiv Sena legislators. Thackeray will address public rally at Shirol on Saturday morning and will head towards Sangli.
Fadnavis will attend various programmes in and around Kolhapur on November 24 and 25.
Shiv Sena insider said, Thackeray will address six rallies and will interact with farmers. “Sena is dissatisfied with the way farmers loan waiver scheme was implemented. Instead of farmers become debt-free, they have harassed by government mechanism. Even Diwali is over, very few farmers have get benefit of the scheme. Remaining are still facing issues,” said the insider. He said farmers are on priority of the Sena and Thackeray will not let it happen. The source said that though there are no elections in upcoming days, for Thackeray, it will be beginning of 2019 poll preparation.
The source further said as Shiv Sena will contest the poll separately, the party leaders have to start to meet people to warm up the environment of the election.
While Fadnavis will undertake luncheon diplomacy to draw more political power in favour of the BJP, Thackeray is hell bent on raking up sentiments against the BJP through his rallies. Both the leaders are keen to swing the politically powerful region in their respective parties favour, which until recently has been a political stronghold of the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).