With the BJP's national president Amit Shah's Uttarakhand visit on June 25 only a day away, things are being discussed in the State's political circles as to what it would bring for the Opposition BJP and for the ruling Congress as well. Shah visited the State the last time on the occasion of the Dalit icon Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar's birth centenary.
The ground situation in the state's political realm has, however, undergone a sea- change since the saffron party's national president last visited Uttarakhand. The BJP is gearing itself up to conjure up a massive turnout for the meeting of Shah to be held in Haridwar district. The state unit of the party claims that it would manage to gather 1.5 lakh for the meeting.
"We would show to Shah that the party has gone a long way forward since the time he visited the state last. We are sure that the mammoth rally we expect to show up would hearald a climate of change in the state," said an important state BJP leader.
But the observers hold a different view. They say that the party might get stuck in the cess-pool of crowd politics and the main agenda of reaching the party at the grass roots, making full use of the anti-incumbency factor, projecting BJP as a brighter altrnative to the Harish Rawat governmet and most importantly cementing the schism within due to factional bickering is likely to remain unaddressed," said one of the observers.
To ensure a mammoth gathering, the state BJP has instructed the party leaders and workers, particularly those eying party tickets for the upcoming Assembly election, to bring more and more people at Saturday's meeting.
"The more the merrier syndrome might cost the party dear if it chooses to ignore the reality that their rival is the astute Harish Rawat who would do everything to blunt the anti-incumbency wave supposedly blowing against him," said an observer.
It is true that things have brightened up for the saffron party in Haridwar district in the aftermath of the landhaura arson and the alleged apathy of the police. The number of party ticket aspirants is maximum in the district. Many in the saffron camp believe that the incident would give fillip to the prospcts of the BJP candidates in western UP aside from wiping the district clean of the Congress.
Aside from addressing the public rally in Haridwar, Amit Shah would be present at Prantiya Parishad (state council) meeting in Haldwani where the party would officially approve the appointment of Ajay Bhatt as the new state BJP chief. Bhatt is thus putting out all the stops to make the meeting a success.
The party sources said that the all the nine newly inducted leaders — Vijay Bahuguna, Harak singh Rawat, Subodh Uniyal, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Amrita Rawat, Pradeep Batra, Umesh Sharma Kau, Dr Shaila Rani Rawat and Dr Shailedra Mohan Singhal — would attend the Haridwar meeting of Amit Shah. Interstingly, seven out of the nine dissidents hail from Garhwal , the division where Haridwar lies.
"With Harish Rawat already in the election mode, striding across the state, it is interesting what message the party president would give to the state unit during the rally. There are many satraps in the state-all eying the party brass's favour to become the CM in case the party wins. Aside from the trio — Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank- two more are added to the list- former MP Satpal Maharaj and former CM Vijay Bahuguna. It would be immensely interesting as to whether Shah would hint at who party will project as CM face for the upcoming election. Somebody must be chosen to take Rawat head on and he must have the CM mettle in adequate measure to outsmart the smart Harish Rawat," said a party leader while insisting on anonymity.