Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sound the poll bugle for BJP in its bid to retain power in Haryana at a rally to be held in Rohtak on September 8. He is likely to address more than three lakh BJP volunteers and local people at the rally.
Earlier, Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah had addressed a public rally in Jind to kick off the party's election campaign in the State on August 16. The BJP has smartly chosen Rohtak in the Jatland, the stronghold of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for the rally.
Sources in BJP said that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is personally overseeing the arrangements for the rally. Along with this, Haryana party affairs in-charge and BJP general secretary Anil Jain, Haryana Cooperation Minister Manish Grover and state general secretaries Sandeep Joshi and Ved Pal are keeping a close watch on the arrangements for the rally.
Rohtak MLA and State Cooperation Minister Manish Grover said, “PM’s rally will be historic in Rohtak. Lakhs of people of the state would attend the rally. The rally will strengthen the party at the booth level. This rally will attract youth and energise workers and also, gear up the cadre for upcoming polls.”
Meanwhile, aiming to return to power in the State again in 2019 polls, the BJP leaders have geared up to make PM’s Rohtak rally a historic and successful event. The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to make Modi’s Vijay Sankalp Rally a massive show of strength with the participation of the gross-root workers named ‘panna pramukhs’ (in charge of voter list pages), who were instrumental in the BJP winning all 10 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections.
The rally is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to consolidate its hold in Rohtak and adjoining areas and consolidating the Jat vote bank as Rohtak is known as the turf of Jat leader and former Chief Minister Hooda. Sources said some BJP MLAs who won the previous Assembly election are not confident of winning the election this year. This rally will give positive momentum to the party in the upcoming Assembly election, particularly in the marginal seats.
Moreover, State BJP has already moved into poll mode. Khattar’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra is at the peak and has already traversed a large part of the state. The Prime Minister’s rally is being organised as the grand finale to the 22-day Jan Aashirwad Yatra currently being undertaken by the Chief Minister.
Khattar will come on the bus of Jan Ashirwad Yatra from Julana to Rohtak to attend Prime Minister Modi’s rally in Rohtak on September 8.
A senior BJP leader said, “The plan to register over 3 lakh ‘panna pramukhs’ spread over 19,500 polling booths has been chalked out and it would be ensured that all those registered attend the rally.
From September 1 to 3, those in charge of districts and other prominent leaders would register the ‘panna pramukhs’ and extend a formal invitation to them to participate in the rally.
The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule of the Assembly elections just after the Rohtak rally in the second week of September.