The pre poll campaigns for the upcoming Maharashtra elections are underway. The voting in the state will be held on the 20th of November, on all the 288 assembly seats in the state with the results to be announced on the 23rd of November. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP known as the ‘Mahayuti’ and the opposition coalition of former Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray, the INC and the NCP (under Sharad Pawar) known as the ‘Mahavikas Aghadi’ are campaigning with full force. The ‘Mahayuti’ is looking to unite the masses, while the ‘Mahavikas Aghadi’ is trying to specifically unite the Muslim votes with the help of some Muslim organizations.
Amidst all this, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also started the ‘Sajag Raho’ (Be Alert) campaign. Though the RSS has not officially claimed the campaign as their own, instead asserting that it is one being conducted by volunteer groups. Through the campaign, the Sangh is clearly attempting to unite the Hindu community. The scale on which this campaign is being run can be gauged from the fact that not only the volunteers of the Sangh, but also about 65 NGO groups including affiliated organizations are working on it. During the last Lok Sabha elections, the performance of BJP in Maharashtra was not good. Political analysts had pointed out that the lack of RSS involvement in the campaign was one of the major factors responsible for the disappointing results.
It is said that the RSS abstained from active involvement in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, which hampered the results for the Bhartiya Janta Party. However, this time the Sangh has begun its campaign early. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has come up with the popular slogan ‘Batenge to Katenge’ (We will be cut down if divided) while the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used the slogan of ‘Ek Hain to Safe Hain’ (Together we are safe). The RSS meanwhile has intensified its efforts to unite Hindus through its ‘Sajag Raho’ campaign. According to reports in the ‘Times of India’, the Sangh Parivar believes that if Hindus are united, they will live peacefully and will not have to take tough steps for self-defense. The anti Hindu attacks in Bangladesh and Canada are being cited as the basis behind this move.
The TOI also reports, that the aim of slogans like ‘Sajag Raho’ and ‘Ek Hain To Safe Hai’ is not meant to be against anyone but to end the caste division among Hindus. Hundreds of meetings are being organized by the Sangh to spread the idea of ’Sajag Raho’ on a large scale. The scope of this campaign is not limited to the Maharashtra elections alone, the Sangh is in fact looking to counter the narratives that seek to divide the Hindu community.
The role of the Sangh in the Maharashtra elections is important not just electorally, but also because the Sangh started from Nagpur. Maharashtra is not only the birthplace of the Sangh but has also been its initial Karma bhoomi. Under this campaign, the Sangh is not just looking to create political influence but also wants to keep the society united invoking India’s ancient cultural nationalism.