The Congress party's Maharashtra in-charge and leader of the opposition in the Parliament, Mallikarjun Kharge, said on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in Mumbai because the BJP anticipated defeat in this region, which has a strong anti-government sentiment.

Kharge said the Congress has kept up the anti-BJP drive alive with a strong campaign that party president Rahul Gandhi kicked off on March 1. He also said Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray's 'independent' campaign would supplement the efforts of defeating the BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which is the second after Uttar Pradesh, in state-wide strength in the Lok Sabha.