Congress to launch Maha poll campaign on August 20; aims to oust Mahayuti govt

Mumbai: Setting its target for uprooting the ruling Mahayuti government, the Congress will kickstart its Assembly election campaign in Maharashtra on August 20, the 80th birth anniversary of late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, top party leaders said here on Friday.

The party will invite Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, besides other top leaders for launching the poll campaign.

Speaking to the media, AICC General Secretaries Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal said that the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will make an all-out effort to dislodge the "corrupt" (Mahayuti) government in the state, and, akin to the Lok Sabha polls, the people will teach the ruling alliance a lesson even in the Assembly elections, due in October.

"This government (of Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP) was formed by deceit…It is not a natural alliance. We are committed to defeating them. The people of the state will also teach the BJP a lesson,” declared Venugopal.

He, along with other top leaders, interacted with the media after reviewing and discussing the Assembly election preparations, poll strategy, ways to strengthen the party and the seat-sharing formula with its allies in the state.

Stressing on party discipline, Venugopal said that all Congress leaders have been directed to remain united, speak in one voice, indiscipline would not be tolerated, action would soon be taken against those MLAs who cross-voted in the recent MLC biennial polls in the state.

Chennithala urged all leaders to speak unitedly on a narrative focusing on farmers, youth, unemployment, the pride of Maharashtra, protecting democracy and the Constitution, and other burning issues, as the people of Maharashtra also want a change.

Soon, the Congress will hold discussions to finalise the seat-sharing arrangements with the MVA allies Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP (SP) and others to ensure that they are united in the endeavour to throw out the Mahayuti regime in the Assembly elections, he added.

Venugopal pointed out that “the political atmosphere in the country has changed a lot after the Lok Sabha elections”, and in the recent bypolls for 13 Assembly seats, the BJP could bag only two, while the INDIA bloc won 11.

“After the INDIA bloc won Ayodhya (within Faizabad LS seat), we have also won Badrinath Assembly bypoll, despite the Uttarakhand police stopping voters from going to the polling stations and misuse of the government machinery,” said Venugopal.

State Congress President Nana Patole, Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Legislative Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat, ex-CMs Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan, AICC functionaries Mukul Wasnik, Manikrao Thakre, State Working President M. Arif Naseem Khan, Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad, and other senior leaders were present at the deliberations.

Patole said that the Congress will protect the self-respect of Maharashtra and not allow it to become a slave of Gujarat, allow its resources or Mumbai to be sold out to the neighbouring state.