Maharashtra polls: MVA to launch campaign on Nov 6, says Sharad Pawar

Pune: Senior leaders from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), part of the opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) at the national level, will start its campaign for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections on November 6, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday.
Pawar said the campaign will be spearheaded by him and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Speaking to reporters at his home turf Baramati in Pune district, Pawar extended Diwali greetings and said he prayed for the prosperity and well-being of the people of the state.
On friendly fights among MVA partners NCP (SP), Congress and Sena (UBT) in some constituencies, Pawar said there are only 10-12 seats where two candidates from the alliance have filed their nomination papers.
“I am confident we will find a solution in the next couple of days and resolve the issue,” he said.
The former Union minister said the MVA will offer a programme (common minimum programme) to the people of the state to garner their support.
The opposition camp plans to a hold a public rally at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex on November 6, where AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will release the party’s poll guarantees, AICC general secretary Ramesh Chennithala said Wednesday.
Kharge and Rahul will address the Samvidhan Sanman Sammelan in Nagpur in the morning, and the MVA rally at BKC in the evening.
According to state Congress unit chief Nana Patole, the MVA would hold a joint rally on November 6 in Mumbai, where it will release the opposition grouping’s guarantees for the assembly elections.
In the MVA, the Congress is contesting 103 seats followed by the Sena (UBT), which has fielded 89 candidates, and 87 seats given to NCP (SP). While other MVA allies are in the fray in six seats, there was no clarity on three assembly segments.
The Maharashtra assembly polls to elect 288 members of the House will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.