MUMBAI, June 20 -- As Maharashtra gears up for local body elections, the state government plans to spend over Rs.21 crore on publicity during the Ashadhi Wari pilgrimage from June 18 to July 8. Though election dates are yet to be announced, the publicity drive coincides with the 700-year-old Warkari yatra, which draws over 2.5 million devotees walking nearly 240 km to Pandharpur. This year's total publicity spend is pegged at Rs.25.17 crore, surpassing the Rs.12.82 crore allotted for essential sanitation services like portable toilets. Promotional efforts will include decorated floats (Chitraraths), street plays, mobile LED vans, exhibitions, and social media campaigns to highlight government schemes. Meanwhile, over 1,800 portable toilets will be deployed daily, costing Rs.7.83 crore on the Dehu route and Rs.4.99 crore on the Alandi route. Vitthal Patil of the Warkari Sahitya Parishad welcomed infrastructure improvements but questioned the real impact of the schemes: "The government uses the Wari for heavy publicity, but do these schemes truly reach the people?" Defending the initiative, Brijesh Singh, Director General of Information and Public Relations, said the campaign targets rural citizens and farmers in their own language, adding that it is a long-standing practice unrelated to upcoming elections....