Nagpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who blew the poll bugle by invoking Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave at Wardha last week, will next visit the Pohradevi shrine of the Banjara community in Washim district on October 5.
Modi’s visit with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar was earlier planned for September 26, but changed to coincide with Navratri. Modi has traditionally started his poll campaigns from Yavatmal-Washim, including the 2014 ‘Chai pe charcha’ at Dabhadi village.
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Sat 21 Dec. 2024
Pohradevi shrine is of religious importance for Banjaras, who have a strong presence in Vidarbha. The Mahayuti Government has sanctioned over Rs 700 crore for the shrine’s development and building a Nagara Bhavan, depicting the community’s culture.
Maharashtra has had two Chief Ministers — Vasantrao Naik and Sudhakar Naik — from the community, with a significant population in bordering states like Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka too. Both Naiks were of the same family from Pusad in Yavatmal, and of the Congress, which has traditionally got the Banjara votes.
Lately, the Banjaras have also been voting for the BJP and its allies, with Minister for Soil and Water Conservation Sanjay Rathore currently MLA from Digras-Darwha in Yavatmal. The Mahayuti wants to cement this community’s support for the Shiv Sena Shinde faction leader.
