NEW DELHI: With the MahaYuti and Opposition MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) set for a keen contest in the elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has launched an extensive outreach programme to shape public opinion in favour of the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state, sources said.
After the success in the Haryana polls, the RSS is working quietly on the ground for the BJP. “The RSS is conducting over 50,000 small meetings and outreach efforts through its volunteers organised into groups, or tolis,” a source said.
Maharashtra has a strong RSS presence, contributing significantly to the BJP’s efforts through its dedicated volunteers who uphold Hindutva ideology.
Sources indicate that the BJP has begun working with its election machinery in Maharashtra well ahead of the polls, focusing particularly on areas where its presence is weaker.
“The BJP doesn’t jump into elections at the eleventh hour. We start our preparations at least two years in advance across states going to the polls,” said a BJP functionary involved in the Maharashtra campaign.
For BJP, Maharashtra’s role in national politics is significant as the party gears up for the 2029 general elections.
The party is reportedly employing a carpet campaign strategy in collaboration with its allies — Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Part — with emphasis on leveraging the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Maharashtra has always played a vital role in shaping Bharat into a ‘Maha-rashtra’ (great nation), and this assembly election will not only determine the state’s future but also send a strong message toward making India a Vikshit Bharat,” a BJP MP said.
A senior BJP leader claims that the party aims to win more than 95 per cent of the assembly seats the party is contesting. “And the seats from our allies will make the MahaYuti once again ‘maha upyukt’ (greatly suited) for Maharashtra’s development and our collective goal of achieving a Vikshit Bharat,” the leader said.
It is widely believed that a lack of enthusiasm among the RSS workers was one of the key factors behind the BJP’s underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha elections this year.
On the ground
After the success in the Haryana polls, the RSS is working quietly on the ground for the BJP. “The RSS is conducting over 50,000 small meetings and outreach efforts through its volunteers organised into groups, or tolis,” a source said.