The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition of Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), kicked off its campaign for the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for November 20.

An announcement to this effect was made by the MVA leaders here on Wednesday.

The MVA’s poll guarantees are likely to be announced during the Swabhiman Sabha event at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex ground. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar will address the gathering.

The MVA’s key poll guarantees are likely to be farm loan waiver and caste census. The alliance is also expected to counter the BJP-backed Eknath Shinde government’s ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme, under which Rs 1,500 is deposited in bank accounts of women below the poverty line (BPL), by promising a Universal Basic Income Scheme if the MVA is voted back to power.

Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Kharge, along with Rahul Gandhi, as well as other senior MVA leaders are scheduled to arrive at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) grounds for the public rally of the MVA called Swabhiman Sabha, as stated by Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe earlier. “We will present the Congress’s commitments to the people of Maharashtra before the assembly elections, expose the corrupt practices of the ruling Mahayuti alliance government, and discuss how they have compromised Maharashtra’s dignity to benefit Gujarat, among other detrimental actions,” Londhe stated.

MVA leaders will also counter what they describe as “false narratives” by the Bharatiya Janata Party-Mahayuti administration while illustrating how Congress guarantees have been successfully implemented in Karnataka and Telangana with an assurance that similar measures will be adopted in Maharashtra if they were elected to power in the state.

Earlier at noon, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi arrived in Nagpur to participate in the ‘Samvidhan Sanman Sammelan’ (Honour the Constitution Conference).

Kicking off his visit to Maharashtra today, Gandhi paid tributes at Deekshabhoomi, the historic site where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution of India, along with thousands of his followers, converted to Buddhism 68 years ago.

Speaking on the occasion, Gandhi stated that Dr. Ambedkar’s words echoed the voices of millions, representing the suffering and struggles of the marginalised. He spoke about how Dr Ambedkar, who was entrusted with drafting the Constitution, incorporated the interests of the Dalits and the oppressed.

In a scathing attack on the BJP and the RSS at the event, the Congress leader said since their members can’t openly criticise the Constitution of India, they do everything to undermine it covertly. These organisations use terms like “development”, “progress”, and “economy” to camouflage their real intention to weaken the Constitution of India.

He asserted that the Constitution is much more than a book. It embodies the ideals of equality, respect, and dignity for all. While the BJP and the RSS refrain from attacking the Constitution openly and directly, they assault its values by attempting to erode it from within. He equated this covert assault to “stabbing in the back” and said the BJP and the RSS attack the Constitution indirectly because they fear a direct confrontation would expose their hidden agenda.

Gandhi warned that destroying the Constitution would lead to the downfall of democratic institutions like the Election Commission, besides public education and health services. He compared the actions of the RSS and the BJP to “a fox attacking from behind”, rather than fighting their opponents directly.

Emphasising the need for a caste-based census, which was discussed at the ‘Honour the Constitution’ conference, the Congress leader projected it as a matter of justice and equality. He said mere talk of respect without any rights, wealth and opportunity is meaningless. He called for empowerment, allowing individuals to live with dignity as well as self-respect.