MVA to Kick Off Assembly Poll Campaign On August 16

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will launch its campaign for the upcoming assembly elections with a joint public meeting at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga on August 16. Leaders from the three principal parties in the alliance will also draft a common minimum programme (CMP) to guide their appeal to voters.

The decisions were made during MVA’s first meeting in preparation for the assembly elections, which took place in New Delhi on Wednesday. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, currently in Delhi for a three-day visit, also held separate meetings on Wednesday evening with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar.

The formula for seat-sharing among MVA constituents and plans to conduct a joint poll campaign were also discussed during Wednesday’s meeting, said sources. “We discussed the possible criteria based on which seats would be allocated to the three parties. Leaders from all three parties made their suggestions which will be finalised in the upcoming meeting,” said a senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity. The next MVA meeting is likely to be held at the end of this month, said Wadettiwar.

Meanwhile, the Congress is set to hold a grand rally at the MMRDA ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex on August 20 to mark the birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. During Wednesday’s meeting, invitations for the rally were extended to NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray.