In a bid to engage with the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, the Maharashtra BJP launched its 'Jagar Yatra' on Monday, commencing from Sevagram in the Wardha district. The campaign, spearheaded by State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, seeks to cover all eleven districts of the Vidarbha region in its first phase, ultimately concluding at Poharadevi in the Washim district.
This inaugural phase of the yatra will traverse through constituencies where OBCs have a significant presence, primarily in the cotton belt of Vidarbha, encompassing 10 Lok Sabha seats and 62 Assembly seats. The yatra is framed as an outreach effort to acquaint the people with the government's welfare schemes and programs designed to uplift the OBCs.
Bawankule said, “The purpose of the yatra is to reach out to people in Vidarbha. The Centre and the state government have enforced several welfare schemes and programmes to uplift OBCs. We will inform people about the good work of the government.”
This initiative coincides with a period of tension in Maharashtra, marked by the Maratha versus OBC conflict concerning reservations, resulting in protests and unrest. Against this backdrop, the state BJP is using yantras and rallies to engage with its core OBC voter base.
Notably, the yatra will traverse constituencies represented by prominent OBC leaders from opposition parties, including Vijay Waddetiwar of the Congress and Anil Deshmukh of the NCP.