Supriya Sule to begin Maharashtra tour today to woo voters

Sule, an MP from Baramati and daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar who is known as the party’s young face, will start ‘Samwad Yatra’ from August 23 from Ahmednagar.

After chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Supriya Sule will embark on a statewide tour ahead of the Assembly elections.

Supriya Sule’s tour is being seen as the party’s effort to reach out to young and urban voters. The yatra will also be an attempt to project her as a leader with statewide appeal. (HT FILE)

Sule, an MP from Baramati and daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar who is known as the party’s young face, will start ‘Samwad Yatra’ from August 23 from Ahmednagar.

She will interact with different sections of society, including students, professionals and party office-bearers on major issues such as unemployment, drought and floods, etc.

Her tour is being seen as the party’s effort to reach out to young and urban voters. The yatra will also be an attempt to project her as a leader with statewide appeal.

Unlike several frontline NCP leaders, Sule has a relatively clean image.

Her tour comes at a time when the party is struggling with defections.

Many of its senior leaders have already joined ruling parties — the BJP and Shiv Sena – and many more names are speculated to be deserting the party in the coming days.

In the first phase of the yatra, Sule will visit areas such as Ahmednagar, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Jalgaon and Nagpur.

“It will be a one-on-one interaction with people, instead of public meetings. Urban areas have a different class of voters and many don’t want to attend any such public meetings. Instead, they prefer interactions. This will be more on informal lines,” said Hemant Takle, national secretary of the party. “The idea is to meet people from all strata of society. We will explain how the state government has failed on crucial issues; how the administration has collapsed; why the NCP wants to win elections, what it will do after coming to power and why they should vote to the party,” he added.

The yatra will be conducted in phases. It will continue till the elections are announced. In each phase, Sule will cover four-five districts. Most of the areas have municipal corporations, which Sule will visit in the first phase. She will also visit rural areas, Takle said.

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar and MP and Marathi actor Amol Kolhe are already on a ‘Shiv Swarajya Yatra’, along with other leaders of the party.

Fadnavis has started the second phase of his ‘Maha Janadesh Yatra’, while Aaditya Thackeray has undertaken ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’.