Delhi Chief Minister and Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal may try to woo the Maratha community in Maharashtra as he visits the state on January 12.

Kejriwal will be visiting Sindkhed Raja to celebrate the birth Anniversary of Jijabai, the mother of Maratha warrior King Shivaji.

Sindkhed Raja in Buldhana district is the birthplace of Jijabai. Lakhs gather here to pay their respects on the occasion of "Rajmata Jijau Janmotsav Sohala".

Kejriwal will be addressing a public rally on Friday. Cops had initially denied permission for the rally citing law and order issues. But now, the rally can go on as planned.

HIGH HOPES

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Maharashtra has high hopes from the rally, as this will be the first big attempt by the AAP to reach out to the politically significant Maratha community.

Marathas comprise of approximately 32 per cent of the state's population.

Kejriwal's choice of venue also underlines the agenda of the party, particularly in the backdrop of the recent turmoil in Maharashtra.

Marathas had taken to the streets last year, demanding reservations in education and job sectors.

SUDHIR SAWANT'S INDUCTION

Kejriwal will induct Brigadier (retd.) Sudhir Sawant, a former Congress MP from Konkan region, into the AAP. Sawant is a Maratha.

"We are not here to woo the Maratha community or any community for that matter. We do not believe in the politics of caste and creed. We chose the venue because we believe in the values of Jijamata which she imbibed into Shivaji Maharaj," AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma-Menon told India Today.

"In fact we firmly believe and follow the ideologies of Shahu Maharaj who spent major part of its budget on education. Our government has emulated that in Delhi," Sharma added.

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