Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his Maharashtra tour for the state assembly elections, took a playful jibe at the Congress-Mahavikas Aghadi during his rally in Dhule. As he wrapped up his speech, Modi called on all the election candidates to stand. A humorous incident followed when he said, "I request all the candidates contesting the elections to come forward." As soon as Modi made the request, all the candidates from the Mahayuti alliance in Dhule stepped forward. However, Devendra Fadnavis, contesting from Nagpur South-West, remained seated. Noticing this, Modi quipped, "Devendraji, you’re also contesting, right?"
Fadnavis quickly got up, smiling, and rushed to join the others, greeting the crowd with folded hands. Once all the candidates gathered at the front, Modi walked up to them, raised their hands in salute to the crowd, and interacted with Fadnavis and the others. He then descended from the stage, leaving the crowd in high spirits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold nine rallies across Maharashtra this week, starting with his first in Dhule on Friday, as part of the BJP's campaign for the state assembly elections.
Addressing a rally in Dhule, PM Modi promised continued development for the state under the Mahayuti government and attacked the Congress party on various grounds. PM Modi also accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc parties of "plotting" against Kashmir after recent ruckus in the J&K assembly over resolution calling for the restoration of Article 370.His final rallies are planned for November 14 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Raigad, and Mumbai. The 288-seat Maharashtra state legislative assembly election is set for November 20, with results to be counted three days later. The BJP is running as part of the Mahayuti alliance, which includes chief minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction and Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Opposing them is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), and the Congress party.