KCR arrives in state on two-day tour

Rao, who was travelling in a massive convoy of about 600 vehicles, was accompanied by the entire Telangana Cabinet, BRS MPs, MLAs and MLCs, and senior party leaders, arrived in Solapur by covering an over 600-km long journey on Monday afternoon

Mumbai: Keen on getting a toehold in Maharashtra, Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrashekar Rao reached the state on a two-day visit amid much fanfare.

KCR arrives in state on two-day tour

Rao, who was travelling in a massive convoy of about 600 vehicles, was accompanied by the entire Telangana Cabinet, BRS MPs, MLAs and MLCs, and senior party leaders, arrived in Solapur by covering an over 600-km long journey on Monday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Rao will offer prayers at Lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur on the occasion of ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’. The Telangana CM is likely to shower rose petals from a helicopter on Warkaris (pilgrims)—devotees of Lord Vitthal who undertake the wari (pilgrimage) on foot from across the state and reach Pandharpur for ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’. The Warkari sect has a strong following in the rural parts, especially farmers, who are being wooed by Rao’s party to build its base in the state. However, till evening the party did not get the permission to shower rose petals from a chopper.

The six-km-long convoy, as per the BRS statement, en-route interacted with people and party functionaries involved in a membership drive.

After seeking the blessing of Lord Vitthal, KCR will address a gathering in Sarkoli of Pandharpur. Rao is likely to visit Tulja Bhavani temple in Tuljapur of the neighbouring Osmanabad district on Tuesday afternoon.

“In Solapur, the CM would inspect weaving industry and handloom units on Tuesday before leaving for Pandharpur and Tulja Bhavani temple,” according to a statement from the Telangana CMO.

After renaming the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as BRS in December last year, Rao has been trying to make a space for his party in the political sphere of Maharashtra. He is focusing on the districts bordering Telangana, which will help him make inroads to begin with. Two days ago, Sushma Mule of Savkheda village in Aurangabad district was elected as the first sarpanch from BRS.

In the last three months, Rao has visited Aurangabad, Nanded and Nagpur, three prominent cities in Marathwada and Vidarbha, respectively. He has urged farmers to help in bringing a pro-farmer government in Maharashtra by promoting the ‘Telangana model’ of governance. With a slogan, “Ab ki baar, kisan sarkar”, BRS has been trying to connect with the farmers that has left the Congress and NCP leaders worried.

It became evident when senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar told a party gathering last week that they cannot ignore BRS and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi considering the fact VBA made a lot of damage to the Congress-NCP alliance candidate in the last state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Moreover, NCP leader Bhagirath Bhalke, who lost the Pandharpur Assembly by-poll in a close contest against BJP in May 2021, is all set to join BRS on Tuesday. The by-poll was necessitated following the death of Bhagirath’s father and NCP MLA Bharat Bhalke. The BRS chief had recently sent a charter flight for Bhagirath Bhalke to visit Hyderabad for a meeting.

The KCR-led party has also offered disgruntled BJP leader Pankaja Munde to make chief minister candidate if she joins BRS. “Pankaja Munde is certainly capable of leading the state and justice will be done to her abilities,” Balasaheb Sanap, state convenor, BRS, said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have termed BRS a B team of the BJP. “BRS is a B team of BJP and will make no impact in Maharashtra politics. The people are smart enough to understand who will benefit from the division of votes,” Nana Patole, state Congress chief, said. He also said the BRS is facing a crisis in Telangana as many of its leaders are joining the Congress.

Shiv Sena (UBT) also accused KCR of using Lord Vitthal for his political entry in the state. “Last time they had AIMIM and this time AIMIM in the new form (BRS) has arrived. They have put up banners and hoardings worth hundreds of crores. The state government should investigate where they are getting so much money to spend in Maharashtra,” Sanjay Raut, Sena (UBT) spokesperson, said.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar was cautious while commenting on BRS. “The attempt is to show that politically they can show a different picture, nothing more than that. If they really want to serve the people then they are welcome,” he said and added that whether they can pose any challenge or not will come to be known only after elections.

(With inputs from Saurabha Kulshreshtha)