Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: Devendra Fadnavis files nomination from Nagpur South-West, says Mahayuti's work speaks for itself; watch video

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday filed his nomination from the Nagpur South-West assembly constituency for the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, reported news agency PTI.

Addressing a rally before filing the papers, he said the Mahayuti government's work speaks for itself, and hit out at the opposition parties, saying the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme and its beneficiaries were enough to defeat them.

Fadnavis, who was the chief minister of the state from 2014 to 2019 and for a short tenure of 80 hours in November 2019, has successfully contested the assembly polls for five times from Nagpur -- two times from Nagpur West constituency and three times from Nagpur South-West seat.

This is his sixth assembly election. He has been an MLA for the past 25 years starting 1999.

Before filing his nomination form, Fadnavis visited Union minister and former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari's residence. Both the BJP leaders then paid floral tributes to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue at the Sanvidhan square in the city, followed by a roadshow from there till Akashvani square.

Addressing a gathering at the end of the roadshow, Fadnavis said, "Our work speaks louder than our words. People can see the development in Nagpur -- be it Nagpur Metro Rail, Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway or other development projects that have changed the face of Nagpur," reported PTI.

The work carried out by the BJP in the last seven-and-a-half years in the state and by the Centre in the last 10 years, has changed the face of Nagpur, he said.

"I won't talk about the opposition parties as our Ladki Bahin (scheme and its beneficiaries) is enough for them. Congress leaders Sunil Kedar and Nana Patole even tried to stop the Ladki Bahin Yojana by filing a petition in Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court," he added, reported PTI.

Ladki Bahin is a flagship scheme of the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government, under which eligible women get a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month.

The Mahayuti government changed the picture of Vidarbha through several projects, including the Gosikhurd irrigation projects, development of Nagpur and Amravati airport and other works.

"The Mahayuti government is creating a new Maharashtra under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is creating a new India," Fadnavis said, reported PTI.

He said his government issued 48 Government Resolutions (GR) for the welfare of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, and challenged the Congress to show even one such GR issued during its term, reported PTI.

It has also worked for the tribal community and all other sections of the society, he said.

Fadnavis and two other sitting BJP MLAs - Mohan Mate from Nagpur South and Krishna Khopde from Nagpur East - filed their nominations at the Nagpur district collectorate. Gadkari and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule accompanied Fadnavis at the time.

Addressing the gathering earlier, Gadkari said what the Congress could not do in 60 years, the Mahayuti government has done in Nagpur and Maharashtra under the leadership of Fadnavis and PM Modi.

Gadkari, who is a Lok Sabha member from the Nagpur constituency, said that development works of more than Rs 1 lakh crore were carried out in Nagpur in the last 10 years.

"Maharashtra has got a very able leadership in the form of Fadnavis," he said, urging people to give the reins of the state in Fadnavis' hands again.

(With inputs from PTI)