: Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) announced a number of sops on Wednesday: ₹3,000 per month to poor women and ₹4,000 a month assistance is being provided to unemployed youth as part of an effort to leave the ruling Mahayuti behind two weeks ahead of the November 20 major assembly elections in Maharashtra.

At a joint rally in Mumbai, MVA announced five guarantees: ₹Under Mahalaxmi Yojna, $3,000 per month to poor women and free travel in government buses for women, ₹3 lakh and additional financial assistance ₹50,000 (Krishi Samruddhi) to farmers who repay their loans regularly, health insurance ₹25 lakh and free medicines for all (Kutumb Rakshan), a caste-based census and removal of 50% ceiling on quota (Samantechi Hami) and direct cash ₹4,000 per month (Yuvkana Shabd) to all unemployed youth.

All the five guarantees were based on the poll manifesto announced by the Congress during its assembly campaigns in Karnataka and Telangana last year.

“The biggest victims of inflation are women. Thus our first payment guarantee ₹Women have $3,000 a month in their back accounts,” Gandhi said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandraji Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray spoke at the rally.

These came just a day after Mahayuti announced a series of stunts, including increasing the financial aid available to the Ladki Bahin administration. ₹1,500 to ₹2,100 per month, farm loan waiver and increase in annual payment under Shetkari sanman scheme. ₹12,000 to ₹15,000. In addition, 20 percent support will be provided to agricultural products over the minimum support price (MSP).

Following the tremendous response of the government to the current Ladki Bahin Yojna, ₹Poor women are given $1500 every month, ruling alliance promises to increase aid ₹2,100 if voted into power. By fulfilling this commitment, MVA hoped to deliver: ₹$3,000 per month to poor women under Mahalaxmi Yojna. He also promised free travel to women and girls on state-run Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses.

The second guarantee was the waiver of farmers’ loans. ₹3 lakhs and also give an incentive ₹50,000 for regular repayment of farm loans. The opposition coalition has also promised to conduct a caste-based census in Maharashtra if voted to power. He also stated that efforts will be made to remove the 50% ceiling on caste-based reservations.

While announcing Mahalxmi Yojna, Gandhi urged people to elect a government that will not allow projects to be shifted outside Maharashtra.

“Our government has been taken over by buying MLAs; Gandhi said that they will elect a Maharashtra government that will not allow projects to be shifted to Gujarat and Dharavi land to be given to Adani.

Reiterating his promise to conduct caste census, Gandhi said the MVA will not allow the BJP to destroy the Constitution. “This is not just a book, it is the voice of our ideals and the common people, Modi and the RSS are slowly trying to destroy it,” he claimed.

Pawar accused Mahayuti of insulting Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, referring to the demolition of his statue in Sindhdurg on August 26. “Maharashtra is going backwards at every level. “They even committed corruption in erecting the statue of Shivaji Maharaj and blamed the wind for the statue which was destroyed within a few months,” he said.

He was referring to the 35-metre statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Rajkot Fort in Malvan, which collapsed in August.

Thackeray announced that the MVA government will keep the prices of five essential commodities – edible oil, sugar, wheat and rice – constant to ensure public comfort. He later took Mahayuti to task over the Dharavi Redevelopment Project and promised to cancel the tender after coming to power. “Many plots from different parts of the city are being given to Adani Group in the name of Dharavi Redevelopment Project,” he said.

Thackeray opposes allotment of land parcels to Adani Group-led Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited for rehabilitating Dharavi’s ineligible tenants.

He also opposed the state government’s plan to redevelop Koliwada (fishing villages) and Gaothan (old villages) in Mumbai under the cluster redevelopment project. “After Dharavi, they now want to develop Gaothans and Koliwadas under cluster development. “We will not allow them to capture even a single gaothan and Koliwada,” he said.