On the lines of campaigns in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is set to face a tough challenge from the Congress in the upcoming Assembly poll, is also embarking on a ‘Vikas Yatra’ to showcase development undertaken by her Government and that of the Modi-dispensation at the Centre.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has completed his ‘Vikas Yatra’ and Chhattisgarh CM is currently touring across the State. Rajasthan BJP is taking ‘Vikas Yatra’ in all 200 Assembly seats which would go to poll by the year-end. Along with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh — all BJP-ruled States — will face election together with Mizoram by November-December.
All the three States would be facing anti-incumbency, but the BJP in Rajasthan would be more apprehensive of electorates who traditionally are not in habit of repeating a Government twice. BJP’s central leadership had earlier declared that in all three States, the party would go to polls with the incumbent Chief Ministers.
The three States would be taking fresh mandate close to 2019 elections and Assembly results could be a curtain raiser to the lok Sabha polls. Madhya Pradesh (29), Rajasthan (25) and Chhattisgarh (25) contributes a total of 65 lok Sabah seats- a majority of which are currently with the BJP.
Vasundhara Raje (65), who had issues with the central leadership in the past is expected to commence ‘Yatra’ from Monday to highlight welfare schemes undertaken by her Government. Her previous two ‘yatras’ were ‘Parivartan Yatra’ (to bring in change) and ‘Suraj Sankalp Yatra’ (for good governance). The latest one has been named ‘Vikas Yatra’ (for development).
State leaders and Ministers would be touring all 200 Assembly constituencies. It is, however, not clear as how many central leaders and Ministers would participate in the ‘Yatra’. The much delayed yatra is to first cove the tribal-dominated division of Udaipur and peak in July.
like in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan too would go with the development agenda and focus on the performance of NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a senior central leader from Rajasthan. BJP which had won 160 out of the 200 Vidhan Sabha seats in the 2013 Assembly election is now faced with a resurgent Congress
The BJP poll campaign in Rajasthan is affected by not having a new State president as a consensus has not reached between Vasudhara Raje and party president Amit Shah on the issue. Raje is understood to have opposed the nomination of Union Minister of State for Agriculture and lok Sabha member from Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, as replacement for Ashok Parnami, the State BJP president who was asked to step down following the party’s defeat in the Ajmer and Alwar lok Sabha byelections and Mandalgarh Assembly bypoll.
The defeats in bypolls has sent message to the BJP in Rajasthan that unless it puts an immediate stop to its internal differences and factionalism, it would have a tough task ahead in the polls against the Congress which is smelling power.