CM Shinde's show of strength in Khed constituency in Ratnagiri on Sunday

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. File Photo

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will address a rally at Khed in Ratnagiri district on Sunday, his first after the Election Commission recognised the faction led by him as Shiv Sena and allotted it the "bow and arrow" poll symbol.

Notably, the rally will be held at the same venue where Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, whose government was toppled by Shinde last June, had addressed a public gathering a fortnight ago.

Khed is the home turf of former Thackeray loyalist Ramdas Kadam, who has switched loyalties to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Another Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from the coastal Konkan belt, considered the traditional stronghold of undivided Shiv Sena, Uday Samant, is currently a minister in the Shinde-BJP government.

Khed constituency is currently represented by Ramdas Kadam's son Yogesh Kadam, also a member of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Addressing his first public rally at Khed after losing the Shiv Sena name and symbol, Uddhav Thackeray had on March 5 said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the most corrupt party in the country and all opportunists are joining it to save themselves from corruption cases.

Meanwhile, buoyed by the success of the Maha Vikas Aghadi's candidate in the recently-held Kasba Peth assembly bypoll in Pune city, the Opposition alliance of NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress has decided to hold joint rallies across the state beginning April 2.

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MVA candidate Ravindra Dhangekar had defeated BJP's Hemant Rasne in that bypoll.

"The first MVA rally will be held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad. Another rally will be held in Mumbai on May 1. Similar rallies will be organised in Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Amravati and Kolhapur cities. The last rally will be in Kolhapur on May 28," MVA leaders said.

These joint rallies will strengthen the meeting of minds of workers of the three parties at the grassroots, they said

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