In Maharashtra, Mahavikas Aghadi has started preparations for assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi may participate in the famous annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur in Maharashtra today. The special thing is that Sharad Pawar has invited Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray for this meeting. It is believed that through this journey, the leaders of Mahavikas Aghadi will not only show unity but it will also be a demonstration of political strength. At the same time, this move of MVA in the state may also prove a blow to BJP’s Hindutva agenda.
With assembly elections likely to be held in Maharashtra by October-November this year, a gathering of MVA leaders is not a common occurrence, apparently with a political connotation.
Religious pilgrimage but its political impact?
Pandharpur Yatra may be religious but its social impact is seen across Maharashtra. The importance of this Yatra dedicated to Lord Vitthal, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, can be understood from the fact that Sharad Pawar has invited Rahul Gandhi to participate in the Pandharpur Yatra. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi’s Join Bharat Yatra passed through Maharashtra twice, and was well received in the state. This time Rahul Gandhi may be seen treading the path of devotion in the state, though only time will tell how much this will benefit him politically.
What is the significance of Pandharpur Yatra?
The history of Pandharpur Yatra is about 700 to 800 years old. This pilgrimage is performed on the occasion of Shukla Ekadashi of Ashad month. It is also called Kumbha of Vaishnavas. Every year those who take part in this yatra are called Varkaris and walk about 250 kilometers. Varkari is a sect in the Bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with Maharashtra.
You can understand the importance of this sect from the fact that last Sunday the Shinde government has issued an order to set up ‘Mukhyamantri Varkari Corporation’. Through this the state government will start old age pension scheme for the workers who are getting traditional salary every month.
The history of the Varkari movement is linked to the 17th century saint Tukaram Maharaj of Dehu. Every year lakhs of pilgrims make a 21-day pilgrimage from Alandi and Dehu to the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur, which ends on the day of Ashadi Ekadashi.
MVA is busy preparing for assembly elections
By participating in the Pandharpur pilgrimage, the MVA alliance seeks to strengthen its presence among the electorate ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, Mahavikas Aghadi performed brilliantly in the state and won 31 out of 48 seats. In which Congress has strengthened the alliance by winning the maximum 13 seats. The Maharashtra Congress is also buoyed by the results, which has led the party to start working on its next strategy. In 2019, the Congress and the NCP contested the assembly elections jointly, with the Congress fielding its candidates on 147 seats and the NCP on 141 seats. But now the circumstances are a little different. Now this alliance includes Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, which did well in the 2019 assembly elections, but now Uddhav’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP have broken up. Congress will get a chance to claim maximum number of seats in the seat sharing with the alliance.
Current status of Maharashtra Assembly
There are 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. Talking about the current situation, BJP has maximum 103 seats. The NCP is divided into two camps, the Ajit group has 40 MLAs while the Sharad group has 12 MLAs. Shiv Sena (Shinde group) has 38 MLAs while Congress has 37 MLAs. While Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) has 18 MLAs in the assembly.
