PM Modi Kicks Off Maharashtra Poll Campaign, Says Everyone In MVA Fighting For Driver's Seat

Maharashtra Election 2024: Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi on Friday kickstarted the campaign for the Maharashtra assembly election. Addressing his first rally from Dhule, PM Modi slammed the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for 'looting' the people of the state. He said that the MVA is a vehicle without wheels, and brakes and everyone is fighting for the driver's seat. PM Modi was referring to the tussle in the MVA over the Chief Minister's post. While Shiv Sena-UBT has said that Uddhav Thackeray would be the CM of the alliance, Congress and the NCP-Shara Pawar have refrained from naming anyone, saying that the party with the most seats will get the CM post.

Hitting out at the Congress party's caste census plank, PM Modi said that the grand old party's agenda is to create a rift between all the tribal communities of the country.
"Congress' agenda is to create a rift between all the tribal communities of the country. When Congress tried this conspiracy with religious groups, it led to the partition of the country. Now Congress is inciting SC, ST, and OBC categories against each other. There can be no bigger conspiracy for India. You will stay strong as long as you stay united. 'Ek hai toh safe hai," said PM Modi.

Hitting out at the Congress over Article 370 ruckus in the J&K assembly, PM Modi said, "As soon as the Congress party's INDI alliance has got a chance to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir, they are hatching conspiracy related to Kashmir. You must have seen the ruckus in the J&K assembly. The Cogress-led alliance has passed a resolution to restore Article 370 once again there.  Will the country accept this? Will you agree? Do you accept the Congress party's move to break Kashmir away from India?"

The Maharashtra assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with votes for all 288 constituencies to be counted on November 23.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42. However, this time, the NCP and the Shiv Sena are heading to the polls after splits.