On the 26th of June, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao embarked on a two-day pilgrimage to Pandharpur, Maharashtra. In no time, his supposed pilgrimage turned into a show of strength putting the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) at crossroads with the constituent parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
Apparently, Telangana CM and BRS Chief Rao stormed into Maharashtra with a 600-car convoy. As per reports, the convoy was nearly 6 km long by the time it reached the Hyderabad-Solapur National Highway 65.
#WATCH | Telangana CM and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao along with cabinet ministers and party leaders on his way to Solapur, Maharashtra.
— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2023
CM KCR left from Hyderabad to Solapur, earlier today.
(Source: BRS) pic.twitter.com/DSxbM9FQsb
The BRS Chief Rao was accompanied by a fleet of his ministers, BRS MLAs, and BRS office-bearers, heating up the political temperature in the state that contributes the second-highest number of seats in Lok Sabha.
Along with his large team, the BRS Chief halted at Pandharpur. Afterward, he went to offer prayers at the Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur, Solapur.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao offers prayers at Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur, Solapur. pic.twitter.com/e2HpkDp6lq
— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2023
Reports claim that it is perhaps the largest convoy led by a CM of any state to the pilgrim town.
This comes within days of MVA parties questioning the intentions of BRS leaders behind making an aggressive push into Maharashtra. The MVA leaders have been arguing that this would undermine the Opposition’s unity bid against the BJP.
BRS’ expansion and accusations of poaching
The MVA parties have accused BRS of poaching their leaders for its political expansion in the state. Apparently, these allegations are not completely unfound as several leaders from the state joined BRS in the presence of BRS Chief KCR.
#WATCH | Several leaders from Maharashtra join BRS Party in the presence of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, at Sarkoli, in Solapur pic.twitter.com/1dDxImAQus
— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2023
As per media reports, Bhagirath Bhalke, the son of former NCP MLA Bharat Bhalke, joined BRS in the presence of Telangana CM KCR.
During his earlier trips to Maharashtra as well, KCR lured mid-level functionaries of the Congress and NCP from rural regions of the state.
In this line, the Pandharpur visit is seen as another move by KCR to expand his party beyond Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. For his, he has been harping on the slogan, ‘Abki Baar Kisan Sarkar’. Going ahead, he even claimed that Telangana onion farmers are getting better payment (@Rs 1,800- 2,100 per quintal) for their crops as compared to their Maharashtrian counterparts, (@Rs 900-1150 per quintal).
Through his farmers’ outreach, along with roping new leaders from other parties, BRS has been focusing on rapid expansion in Maharashtra. BRS has been actively targeting leaders from other parties in key locations like Chandrapur, Aurangabad, Nanded, and Latur as part of their ongoing efforts.
The BRS has been holding rallies in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. It also set up an in Nagpur and planning to open new party offices in Pune, Aurangabad, and Mumbai.
Sanjay Raut hits back at BRS Chief KCR, calls him BJP’s B team
Responding to KCR’s claim on onion prices higher in Telangana, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said, “A lot of the farmers from Maharashtra who went to sell at Telangana were duped. For a political agenda, news was created that onion farmers were getting a better price in Telangana.”
UBT spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut said, “It is clear that they are BJP’s B team. They are doing what AIMIM did last time (in 2019 when AIMIM and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi split Congress-NCP votes). They are not going to Odisha or Uttar Pradesh. They have, however, come to Maharashtra. They are not going to win seats here; it is not their intention. Their intention is to divide votes.”
Raut also claimed that there will be no impact of BRS in Maharashtra politics and MVA is strong in Maharashtra. He argued that the Telangana CM is fearful of defeat which is why he came to Maharashtra but his 12-13 former ministers/MPs joined the Congress yesterday. He asserted that this is a fight between KCR and Congress.
#WATCH | There will be no impact of Telangana CM KCR on Maharashtra politics. If KCR will do drama like this, he will lose Telangana also. Fearing loss, he came to Maharashtra but his 12-13 ministers/MPs joined the Congress yesterday. This is a fight between KCR and Congress. MVA… pic.twitter.com/HyJJ34qzbu
— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2023
However, the ruling parties in the state welcomed KCR’s visit to Lord Vitthal temple. CM Eknath Shinde stated that the doors of Pandharpur temple are open to all.
Similarly, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “If anybody is coming to participate in the pilgrimage, we welcome it. (But) they should keep politics away.”
