BJP to hold padyatra in Nagpur on Thursday, led by Fadnavis and Gadkari

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a padyatra in Nagpur on November 5, 2026. The march is part of the party's "Lokshahi Bachao, Arajakta Hatao" ("Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy") campaign. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will lead it. Politics in the city has heated up over the issue of democracy and the Constitution.

The time and route have been fixed. The march will begin at 4 pm on Thursday at Yashwant Stadium and proceed towards Govari T-Point and Morris College Chowk. Maharashtra Revenue Minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule has posted on the social media platform X urging people to turn up in large numbers. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people are expected to take part.

The BJP says opposition parties are spreading confusion about democratic institutions and the electoral process. According to the party, it is running this campaign across the country in response. The party says the campaign will carry the message of strengthening the fairness of elections, the right of eligible citizens to vote, and public trust in democratic institutions.

The Congress, on the other hand, has questioned the campaign. Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) themselves of being opposed to democracy and the Constitution. Sapkal says the BJP's campaign to save democracy and the Constitution shows a political contradiction. He has also questioned the ruling party's claims about the Constitution.

The Congress alleges that instead of answering the questions the opposition is raising about democratic institutions and the electoral process, the BJP is running a political campaign.

The Nagpur padyatra will thus be an occasion for the BJP to respond to the opposition's charges, while the Congress has already questioned the intent of the campaign. In politically significant Nagpur, the exchange of statements between the two parties over democracy and the Constitution is likely to sharpen. It remains to be seen how much support the padyatra draws and how the opposition responds.