Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS): The Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will mark the 162nd birth anniversary of the philosopher-monk Swami Vivekananda by holding the party’s mega-convention in the pilgrimage town of Shirdi, Ahmednagar next month, a top leader said here on Friday.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the convention -- to be held on January 12 -- shall be addressed by top party brass including BJP President and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah among others.
The convention will be significant, coming barely two months after the party and its MahaYuti allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party swept to power in the November 20 Assembly elections.
Celebrating the huge MahaYuti victory, the convention will felicitate Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his role in the electoral success that virtually wiped out the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
The meet also assumes added importance as it comes ahead of the much-anticipated municipal and local bodies elections that are due early in 2025.
The convention date -- January 12 -- coincided with the 162nd birth anniversary celebrations of the Calcutta-born icon, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), who walked into history with his famous “Sisters and Brothers of America…” in his address at the Parliament of Religions convention in Chicago (1893).
“Based on the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda, a new campaign will be launched at the (Shirdi) convention to inspire the youth and attract them to the BJP,” said Bawankule.
With over 10,000 BJP office-bearers and youth activists scheduled to participate from all over the state, Bawankule said that the program would be critical for the party’s upcoming plans, among them to increase contact with the youngsters.
Incidentally, this will be the first major party event in the state after the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, both held in the first and second half of 2024, with the mood cheerful for the upcoming local bodies elections.
The MahaYuti suffered a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, within six months it bounced back to turn the tide and was rewarded with a landslide victory over the MVA in the Assembly elections.