Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: MVA & Mahayuti Kick Off Campaign With Promises To Women, Youth, & Farmers

Mumbai: The election campaign for the Maharashtra assembly elections was officially flagged off on Wednesday. Both Maha Vikas Aghadi and Mahayutl, made a flurry of announcements about their plans for the people.

At a joint rally by the Maha Vilas Aghadi leaders - Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT} leader Uddhav Thackeray, and other senior leaders of the opposition alliance - a fivepoint plan was presented.

One of the key promises was the introduction of the Mahalakshmi scheme, to counter the Ladki Bahin scheme. Under the Mahalakshmi scheme, 3000 will be credited to the bank accounts of women every month. Additionally, there will be free bus travel for women in Maharashtra.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, speaking at the joint MVA rally in Mumbai, said, “The BJP government has increased inflation and unemployment. Therefore, our first guarantee is to give 13,000 to women and provide them free bus service.” Meanwhile, the Mahayuti has announced several schemes for women and youth. The MVA’s announcements also show an effort to attract women and young voters, with its leaders promising to keep their word on coming to power in the state.

NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar On Agricultural Policies

During the rally, Sharad Pawar spoke about agricultural policies, introducing a key MVA promise for farmers. He recalled the Rs 71,000-crore farm loan waiver during his time as agriculture minister in the UPA government, which had helped lower interest rates for farmers. He announced, “When the Maha Vikas Aghadi comes to power, we will launch a Krishi Samruddhi Yojana, with a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 3 lakh for every farmer. Additionally, farmers who repay their loans on time will receive a Rs 50,000 incentive.”

Pawar again alleged corruption in the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Sindhudurg. He stated, “Those involved in corruption, even in the construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Mabharaj's statue, have insulted him and his legacy.”

Assurance Given By Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said if the MVA were to form the government again, it would ensure prices of five essential food items, including sugar, pulses and grains were kept under control. He reiterated that temples dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would be built across the state. All the leaders, while addressing the crowd, appealed for the MVA to be voted into power in the state. Throughout its rally, the MVA appeared to focus its promises on women, unemployed youth, farmers, Dalits, tribals and backward-class voters. Naturally, they didn't Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The ED accused Acharya of abusing his official position as Vice Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) between 2005 and 2009 to extend favours to certain companies, including Aurobindo Pharma and the Hetero Group, by allotting land at reduced prices, causing a wrongful loss of Rs 21.5 crores to APIIC. However, the ED did not obtain the necessary sanction from the state government to prosecute Acharya, leading to the case being quashed by the Telangana High Court in 2019. The ED’s appeal against this ruling was dismissed by the Supreme Court today.