Ajit Pawar to kick off NCP's Jan Samman Yatra from Nashik on Aug 8

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will begin the Jan Samman Yatra, an outreach programme of the ruling NCP ahead of the state assembly election, from Dindori in Nashik district on August 8, his party announced on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, NCP working president Praful Patel said the Ajit Pawar-led party and its allies in the ruling Mahayuti, BJP and Shiv Sena, have to fight the upcoming election together and win.

The NCP put up a united front, with the entire top leadership, including Patel, senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal, and cabinet ministers and MLAs, remaining present at the press conference, where the yatra schedule was announced.

The NCP leadership has insisted that the Jan Samman Yatra was not limited to constituencies of NCP MLAs.

Party leaders will also visit seats held by allies Shiv Sena and BJP, as the party wishes to present a united face of Mahayuti, they said.

Patel said Pawar would meet NCP workers to boost their confidence and find time for workers of the BJP and Shiv Sena to promote camaraderie.

"We tend to take everyone along. Ajit Pawar will also meet workers of the Mahayuti alliance partners, the BJP and Shiv Sena, as we have to win the upcoming elections together. The objective of this yatra is to explain to the people that the NCP stands for the common man of Maharashtra, and we have implemented our schemes without any discrimination or prejudice in favour of or against any community or class," he said.

The party's state president, Sunil Tatkare, said the yatra will be in a hybrid model, where the party leadership will travel in a bus, and supporters will accompany in cars.

"Ajit Pawar will address meetings with women, youth, farmers, tribal people and other marginalised sections of the society, listen to their issues and explain the benefits of government schemes like Majhi Ladki Bahin, Annapurna Yojana, Baliraja Vij Savlat Yojana, Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana and bonus of Rs 5,000 per hectare for cotton and soya bean farmers," he said.

Jan Samman Yatra will remain in north Maharashtra for five days, covering 11 assembly constituencies in three districts, he said.

Pawar will visit Dindori, Devlali, Sinnar, Niphad, Yeola, Kalwan, Chandwad, Dhule, Amalner, Kopargaon and Malegaon, Tatkare said.

The first phase of the yatra will cover western Maharashtra, Mumbai, and Vidarbha and culminate on August 31, he said.

Former deputy chief minister Bhujbal claimed the NCP was undertaking the yatra to remove fear from people's minds regarding the negative narrative about the government.

He said the NCP leadership believes in positivity and working for every section of society and is making extra efforts to uplift the socially and economically backward sections.