Though hardly a heavy weight, Valvi certainly has some influence in the tribal belt of Nandurbar and DhuleLok Sabha constituencies. The three — time legislator can damage the Congress’s chances in the Nandurbar constituencies for sure.

Once a Congress bastion, Nandurbar constituency and its tribal had a special place in Indira Gandhi’s heart. Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi carried forward the special bond. The UPA government chose Nadurbar district for the launch of its prestigious Aadhaar card scheme during its tenure. The constituency, however, slipped away from the hands of the Congress in the Modi wave in 2014. Heena Gavit, a young BJP leader, has been representing the constituency since then. The Congress is keen on wresting it back.

The party has to play its cards deftly, though. It has to make sure that Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) does not spoil the game. The efforts for an understanding with the VBA have not yielded any result as it refused to accept the two seats offered by the Maha Vikas Aghadi during the seat sharing talks.

A tacit understanding with powerful local leaders like Chandra Kant Raghuvanshi would work well for the Congress. Originally a congressman, Raghuvanshi shifted his loyalty to the Shiv Sena after the saffron alliance came to power in Maharashtra in 2014. After Shinde rebelled to form his own government and took control of Shiv Sena, Raghuvanshi shifted camp. He is, however, not happy there.

The BJP has been winning Dhule, Nandurbar’s neighbouring constituency, since 2009, and the margins have been getting bigger. In 2019, the BJP’s Subhash Bhamre trounced the Congress’s Kunal Patil by 2.29 lakh votes. While Bhamre will contest again in 2024, the Congress has not yet decided its candidate.

Rahul’s first stop in Dhule was the residence of Rohidas ‘Dajisahib’ Patil. A Congress veteran, he was minister many times. The popular leader has passed on the mantle to his son Kunal, who many in Dhule say, is not as popular as his father. Rahul met the senior Patil and made a phone call to Sonia Gandhi so that she could speak to him.

Rahul addressed two meetings in Dhule—one in the city and other on the outskirts. Both were well attended. Like he did in Nandurbar, he announced five guarantees for women if the Congress came to power. Each of his announcements was greeted with thunderous applause from women.

“The response to Rahul’s yatra has phenomenal”, said Sachin Sawant, general secretary, Maharashtra Congress. “People are coming on their own to listen to him on . People are tired of this politics of money and hatred. Now even the surveys for Maharashtra are saying that this election is not a cake walk for the BJP.

Sharad Power joined Rahul’s yatra when it entered Nashik district at Malegoan. His NCP will contest Dindori and Nashik, the two Lok Sabha constituencies in the district. Huge crowds received the Yatra in Malegoan, a Muslim majority town of handloom and power-loom owners. The Congress had long been the first choice of Muslims in the region. In the last election, however, Malegaon Assembly seat was won by Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. (IPA Service)