Eyeing Maha polls, RPI (Athawale) to mark foundation day in Satara on Thursday

Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS) The Republican Party of India (Athawale), headed by Union Minister for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale is all set for a massive show of strength in Satara on October 3 - marking the 67th foundation day of the historic Republican Movement for Dalits that had first started in 1955 - top party officials said here on Wednesday.

The event will comprise a rally at the sprawling Police Karamnuk Kendra grounds which will be addressed by Athawale, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale and his cousin, Shivendrasinh Abhaysinh Bhosale of the Satara royal family.

“RPI (Athawale) has decided to participate in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. However, we cannot reveal the number of seats we shall contest and it will be announced in due course,” said the party’s national General Secretary Avinash Mahatekar.

However, Athawale recently said that he has requested the BJP for at least 8-10 seats in the state polls.

Mahatekar said that the grand rally on October 3 would attract more than 200,000 Dalits from Maharashtra and the rest of the country where Athawale is expected to give them guidance and make some important announcements to take the party forward, as part of the ruling NDA alliance at the Centre.

The original RPI Dalit movement was launched by the late B. R. Ambedkar (1891-1956), the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution, months before his demise, and it was formalised as a political party on October 3, 1957, which is celebrated as its Foundation Day annually by all factions, Mahatekar added.

The RPI (Athawale) plans to flex its muscles at the event, hoping to win the trust of the voters and also bargain for a reasonable chunk of seats from the ruling MahaYuti alliance of Shiv Sena-BJP-Nationalist Congress Party, said a party official in Satara.

Accordingly, Athawale will formulate and outline the party’s strategies not only for the Assembly elections but also the state civic bodies’ elections due later, and the RPI (Athawale)’s preparations for the same, said the official.

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