Mumbai, August 6: Ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar is all set to undertake a massive tour in the state. An outreach programme of the NCP, the tour dubbed "Jan Samman Yatra" will begin on Thursday, August 8, and cover Maharashtra in five phases. On Monday, August 5, the NCP announced the mass outreach programme and said that the yatra will begin from Dindori in Nashik. The Jan Samman Yatra comes on the backdrop of NCP's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.

The yatra is also seen as an opportunity to prepare ground work for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls in the state scheduled to take place later this year. Notably, the Jan Samman Yatra will not be limited to constituencies of NCP MLAs but also cover seats held by its Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and BJP. NCP's working president Praful Patel said that Ajit Pawar will meet party workers across the state to boost their confidence and also find time for workers of the BJP and Shiv Sena to promote camaraderie. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Activist Manoj Jarange Asks Marathas To Prepare for Polls, Says No Option but To Enter Politics To Get Quota.

What Is NCP’s Jan Samman Yatra?

The Jan Samman Yatra will be Ajit Pawar's first tour covering entire Maharashtra. In the first phase beginning from Nashik, the Deputy CM will cover 11 assembly constituencies across three districts of northern Maharashtra over five days. These constituencies include Dindori, Devlali, Sinnar, Niphad, Yeola, Kalwan, Chandwad, Dhule City, Amalner, Kopargaon, and Malegaon Central. The second phase will begin from Pune on August 15 and span four days covering seven districts of western Maharashtra.

The third phase will see the NCP party begin its yatra on August 19 and cover assembly constituencies in Mumbai, Thane and a few from Konkan region within a span of six days. The next two phases will be held from August 25 to August 31, with the last stage covering assembly constituencies of Vidarbha and Marathwada region between September 1 and 7. When Is Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024? From Previous Election Schedule To Likely Poll Dates, Here’s All You Need To Know.

What Will Ajit Pawar Do in the Yatra?

Besides meeting NCP workers and supporters of the Mahayuti alliance, Ajit Pawar would be addressing meetings with women, youth, farmers, tribal people and other marginalised sections of the society. NCP's state president Sunil Tatkare said that the Jan Samman Yatra will be held in a hybrid mode. This mean, party leaders will travel in a bus while the supporters will accompany them in cars. During the Yatra, Ajit Pawar is also likely to highlight key schemes announced during the state budget with major focus being the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana scheme. He is also expected to explain the benefits of government schemes such as Annapurna Yojana, Baliraja Vij Savlat Yojana, Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana and bonus of INR 5,000 per hectare for cotton and soya bean farmers. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Raj Thackeray-Led MNS Announces 2 Candidates for Shivadi and Pandharpur Seats, Check Names Here.

Meanwhile, former deputy chief minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said that the party is undertaking the yatra to remove fear from people’s minds regarding the negative narrative about the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government. It must be noted that in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar won only one of the four seats it contested, while the rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction managed to win 8 of 10 constituencies.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2024 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).