An all-out newspaper ad war has erupted between the ruling Mahayuti and rival Maha Vikas Aghadi just two days before the high-voltage assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Both parties published hard-hitting newspaper ads targeting each other on the final day of campaigning.
A full-page ad by Mahayuti features several newspaper headlines (in English, Hindi and Marathi) listing incidents that took place under the UPA rule, from the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to Bombay serial blasts to scam during Covid pandemic. The caption read: “MVA – Say no to Congress”.
Similarly, the MVA alliance of Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP (SP) released an advertisement highlighting what failures and corruption of the Mahayuti government in the form cartoons.
The ad lists issues such as hit-and-run incidents, rising crimes against women, unfulfilled promises, alleged corruption linked to Shivaji’s statue project, amongst other things. The caption read:
“Maha-Abhadra Yuti’s Maha-Abhadra Rule – Enough of anti-Maharashtra governance, time to remove the Bhrashtyuti alliance,” a play on the word Bhrashtyuti (with Bhrasht meaning corruption), mocking the Mahayuti alliance.
Campaigning for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly elections draws to a close on November 18. The single-phase polls will be held on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.
Maharashtra is witnessing a fierce clash between the Mahayuti comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction and the MVA, which includes Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction.