With BJP’s Parivartan Yatra drawing huge crowds across the State, the jittery Chief Minister Harish Rawat hurriedly convened a Congress legislature party meeting at his temporary residence at Bharadisain on Thursday night. The move contradicts the norm as it is a custom for the political parties to convene such meetings ahead of a Vidhan Sabha session to frame strategies.
It is learnt that the CM sought feedback from the MlAs on the impact of the Parivartan Rally on the common people and their suggestions too to counter things.
The Congress insiders said that the CM was visibly upset over the saffron yatra for change striking chords with the people despite them suffering a lot in the aftermath of the Modi government’s high value currency recall move. “We are a bit shocked with the people flocking the rallies in large number when they are grappling hard with the currency crunch,” said one of them.
Meanwhile, the locals who gathered at the under-construction Assembly were disappointed as they expected the state government to make an announcement of Gairsain being made the capital of the State.
Observers say that they too expected the State Government to announce the shift of the State capital from the plains to the hills to take the wind out of the saffron sails in the run-up to the election. “But the CM has chosen to fight shy of the announcement as he apprehends an erosion of his party’s support base in the plains in case he goes ahead with it, something which he cannot risk with the crucial election barely a couple of months away,” an observer said.
However, another observer said that the drama might not be over yet with another day left for the session. “It is not impossible that the CM might go for the long-awaited announcement on Friday, the final day of the session, to turn the table on the now buoyant BJP,” he said.