In a recent resurgence of activity, Rahul Gandhi, the former leader of Congress, is poised to advocate for the party’s candidates in the Lok Sabha seats of Solapur and Amravati in Maharashtra on April 24.
“Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to deliver speeches in Amravati and Solapur on April 24. There is considerable optimism within the Congress regarding both constituencies,” stated Ashish Dua, the AICC secretary overseeing Maharashtra.
Rahul had briefly stepped away from his arduous campaign itinerary a few days earlier due to health reasons. Consequently, he was unable to address rallies in Satna and Ranchi on April 21, and was forced to cancel three rallies in Kerala on April 22.
The Congress party has garnered hope in the Solapur constituency where Prainiti Shinde, the state unit’s working president, is contesting against BJP’s Ram Satpute. In a noteworthy turn of events, Rahul Gaikwad, the candidate from the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in Solapur, withdrew from the race on April 22, stating that he did not wish to contribute to a division of votes that might lead to a BJP victory, as it was deemed more crucial to preserve the Constitution crafted by BR Ambedkar.
During the previous national polls in 2019, the VBA secured 1.7 lakh votes in Solapur. If a substantial portion of these votes shifts towards the Congress, it could significantly bolster Praniti’s campaign, according to party insiders.
Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of BR Ambedkar, leads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and had engaged in discussions with the Congress, Shiv Sena, UBT-NCP, and SP for a seat-sharing agreement. He even addressed the INDIA bloc rally in Mumbai on March 17, but later parted ways with the opposition alliance, which was unwilling to allocate six seats to him.
“The VBA candidate recognized the unlikelihood of his victory and made a prudent decision to withdraw. This withdrawal is likely to benefit the Congress,” remarked Dua.
Prakash Ambedkar is contesting from the Akola constituency, which is witnessing a triangular contest between Congress’ Abhay Patil and BJP’s Anup Dhotre.
In the previous national polls of 2014 and 2019, the Congress had nominated Hedayatullah Patel in Akola, a move that aided the BJP in polarizing the electorate and securing the seat. “This time, the grand old party has put forth a Maratha candidate, Abhay Patil. The outcomes could be intriguing,” commented Dua.
Imran Pratapgarhi, the head of the AICC minority department and a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, rallied in support of the party’s candidate in Akola on April 22, urging voters from both majority and minority communities to stand together.
In the Amravati constituency, the Congress’ candidate Balwant Wankhede, an incumbent MLA, is up against BJP’s incumbent MP Navneet Rana. The VBA has fielded Prajakta Pillewan as its candidate.
The opposition MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) is actively engaged on the ground, as per Congress insiders, who highlighted the recent joint rally in Amravati featuring Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray, NCP-SP leader Sharad Pawar, and AICC functionary Mukul Wasnik.
Prior to this, AICC secretary Ashish Dua addressed a joint rally with Uddhav Thackeray in the Buldhana constituency in the Vidarbha region, which is witnessing a contest between the two factions of Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena UBT candidate Narendra Khedekar is competing against Shiv Sena Shinde’s Prataprao Jadhav.