2nd leg of CM's yatra postponed to August 21

Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to postpone the second phase of his Maha Janadesh Yatra from August 17 to August 21. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the decision had been taken because of the prevailing flood situation in the state.

The Opposition, however, accused Mr Fadnavis of eyeing votes even as normalcy is yet to be restored in flood-hit areas.

BJP state general secretary and MLC Surjit Singh Thakur, who is also in charge of the yatra, said that the second leg of the journey would begin in Nandurbar district.

It will cover Dhule and Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, Buldhana in Vidarbha, eight districts of Marat-hwada and Solapur in western Maharashtra. The second  leg of the yatra will cover 55 Assembly seats in 14 districts of the state, a total area of 1,829 km. The concluding ceremony of the second leg will be held in Solapur district, he said.    

Mr Thakur said the saffron party was also considering organising the third leg of the yatra after Ganesh Chaturthi. Mr Fadnavis will not visit Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune, as planned earlier.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said that when the floods had ravaged western Maharashtra and Mumbai, the chief minister was busy touring Vidarbha.

“If the government had taken adequate measures and heeded the India Meteorological Department’s predications, the situation would not have gotten out of hand. The water has not even receded completely in state, but Mr Fadnavis is embarking upon the second leg of his yatra, he said. This proves he is not worried about the people’s plight but is preoccupied with his poll campaign.” He added that the people would teach the BJP a lesson in the upcoming Assembly election.

Mr Fadnavis had cut short the first leg of his yatra on August 6 after being criticised by the Opposition for campaigning despite the state having been hit by a severe deluge.