Fadnavis to resume mass outreach campaign from Aug 21

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will next week resume his 'Mahajanadesh Yatra', which he suspended in view of the floods battering parts of the state, a BJP functionary said on Wednesday.

Fadnavis earlier started his mass contact programme from Amravati in Vidarbha region on August 1, ahead of the state Assembly polls due in September-October.

However, he suspended it on August 6 after facing flak from the opposition for carrying on with the campaign despite rains wrecking havoc in many parts of the state.

"The chief minister will resume his campaign from August 21," said BJP leader Sujitsingh Thakur, who is in- charge of organising the yatra.

Earlier, the first phase of the yatra, covering Vidarbha region and Nandurbar in North Maharashtra, was supposed to be completed by August 9.

As per the new plan, Kolhapur, Pune, Sangli, Satara have been omitted from Fadnavis' campaign, Thakur said.

"The second phase of the programme was earlier supposed to start from August 17, which has now been changed to August 21," he added.

Fadnavis earlier said his 'Mahajanadesh Yatra (mega mandate march) is aimed at giving an account to people of the state what the BJP-led government did in last five years.