“Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav have also been invited. However, they have not yet confirmed their attendance,” Jankar added.
Mumbai: In a significant development in Maharashtra politics, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are likely to share the stage on Saturday at an event in Delhi to mark the 300th birth anniversary celebrations of Ahilyabai Holkar. The event has been organised by prominent Dhangar leader and former BJP ally Mahadev Jankar, who is expected to switch his allegiance to Congress during the event.
Jankar, who is the founder of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP), has organized the event at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. He said Gandhi, Pawar and Yadav have accepted his invitation to address the event to celebrate Ahilyabai Holkar’s birth anniversary celebrations.
“Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav have also been invited. However, they have not yet confirmed their attendance,” Jankar added.
The RSP chief has already given ample indications that he was planning to join hands with the opposition alliance. “We are not with the Mahayuti and NDA at the moment. I have quit the NDA after the Vidhan Sabha elections. I am currently preparing to build a new house,” he said.
However, he said, no decision has been taken yet regarding the local body elections. The Rashtriya Samaj Party is preparing to contest the elections independently.
By holding birthday celebrations of Ahilyabai Holkar, who belongs to the Dhangar community, Jankar has been trying to consolidate his base among the community. Dhangar community has a sizable population in Maharashtra.
The Dhangar community has sizeable presence in Maharashtra's Solapur, Sangli, Baramati, Parbhani, Satara Lok Sabha seats and can influence the results in more than 25-30 assembly seats.
Jankar had contested as the NDA candidate against NCP leader Supriya Sule from Baramati in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and lost by a nearly 70,000-margin. He also lost from the Parbhani constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
