In Indore, BJP makes last-ditch effort to woo Marathi voters for LS polls

Community upset with party denying ticket to 8-time MP Sumitra Mahajan

Reaching out to the mini-Maharashtra in Indore has emerged as the biggest challenge for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the eight-time winner and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan was denied a ticket for the ongoing general elections. Heavyweights such as Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari have been fielded for rallies and meetings to assuage the 300,000-strong Marathi voters in the largest and the most populous city of Madhya Pradesh. 

Indore, the Maratha princely state during British rule, was a BJP stronghold since 1989, still has a strong Marathi culture and influence. A BJP stronghold since