INDIA bloc's mega rally at Mumbai's Shivaji Park today
The Congress-led opposition will hold a mega rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Sunday. The rally will reportedly be the biggest-ever show of strength of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc. It will see the participation of opposition heavyweights such as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, among others. The rally will also provide a platform for the bloc to launch its campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
Why does this story matter?
This comes a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) officially announced the dates for the 2024 general election on Saturday. The rally in Maharashtra by the Congress-led INDIA bloc comes at a time when several party leaders from the state have shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The most prominent of whom is former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who formally joined the BJP in Mumbai on February 13.
Know about top leaders attending Sunday's mega rally
Other big names who will be attending the rally include Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Sonia Gandhi, and All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), and Tejaswai Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal) will also attend the rally.
Rahul concluded 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Mumbai
The meeting follows the conclusion of Rahul's 63-day-old Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the country's financial capital on Saturday. The former grand old party president concluded the yatra by paying tribute to Dr. BR Ambedkar at his memorial in Chaityabhoomi in central Mumbai and reading the "Preamble of the Constitution." Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started in violence-torn Manipur on January 14, entered Mumbai from neighboring Thane on Saturday.
Details on Rahul's 'Nyay Sankalp Padyatra'
Ahead of the INDIA bloc's mega rally, Rahul will undertake a Nyay Sankalp Padyatra to August Kranti Maidan from Mani Bhavan in Mumbai on Sunday, PTI reported, citing party sources. He will also interact at Tejpal Hall, near the August Kranti Maidan. It's worth noting that Mani Bhavan was the home of Mahatma Gandhi whenever he was in the country's financial capital, while the grand old party was founded at the Tejpal Hall on December 28, 1885.
