Pune: The "Nirbhay Bano" meetings, which played a pivotal role in swaying public support toward the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the last Lok Sabha elections, are seeing renewed demand from democratic organizations and political parties.
The meetings are now being requested in 71 locations across Maharashtra, including key constituencies of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Utpal Chandavarkar, the coordinator of the "Nirbhay Bano" meetings, confirmed that the requests have been pouring in, with a significant focus on constituencies of prominent ministers.
These meetings, held during the previous election, were credited with benefiting the MVA, helping to address critical social and political issues that resonated with the electorate.
Dr. Vishwambhar Chaudhary, a key figure behind the initiative, stated that the purpose of the meetings is to shift the focus of political leaders towards real societal problems such as agriculture, crop pricing, environmental concerns, health, education, and legal frameworks, rather than wasting public funds on constant publicity and showmanship.
He emphasized that the upcoming meetings would push for discussions on these pressing issues.
Advocate Asim Sarode added that while the "Nirbhay Bano" meetings would offer conditional support to the MVA, they would demand a clear outline of the actions the coalition plans to take for the people of Maharashtra, should they win.
“The MVA must transparently communicate what they intend to prioritize if they secure victory,” Sarode remarked.
Sarode and Chaudhary both noted that they have yet to finalize the number and locations of the meetings but highlighted the immense public response. “The demand for these meetings signifies that people are taking the initiative to keep democracy alive,” they stated.
Requests for the meetings have come from several high-profile constituencies, including those of ministers such as Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Nitesh Rane, Girish Mahajan, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Chandrakant Patil, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Chhagan Bhujbal, Tanaji Sawant, Dhananjay Munde, Shambhuraj Desai, Sanjay Rathod, and Uday Samant, according to Chandavarkar.