Being neighbouring State of Gujarat, the elevation of Narendra Modi as chairman of the BJP Campaign Committee, would have maximum political impact in the coming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, which are due in November. This would also help the party to improve its tally in the lok Sabha elections, political analysts opined.
There is already a good rapport between Modi and the State BJP president and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. The former CM had met Modi a few days before her appointment as State party president early this year.last month she dashed to Ahmedabad to meet Modi after conclusion of the second leg of her Suraj Sankalp Yatra in the Hadauti region.
Political analysts and many senior State party leaders are of the view that Modi had played a significant role to convince the party leadership and RSS bosses to make Raje as State party president and also project her as Chief Ministerial candidate as she is the only capable leader in Rajasthan who could bring back the BJP to power in the State.
Initially four-month long yatra of Raje was to conclude in Jaipur in third week of July. As Raje was keen for the presence of Modi at the concluding rally, the date was changed to August 2, which suites the new chairman of the party’s campaign committee. A BJP convention would also be coinciding with the concluding rally of the yatra.
As nearly 35 of the 200 Assembly seats of Mewar and Vagad region of Rajasthan have big influence of politics of Gujarat, party leaders are sure that a visit of Modi to these areas would turn the tide in party’s favour.
In 2003 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 26 of the 28 Assembly seats from the Mewar region. But its tally reduced to only six in 2008 Assembly elections. Raje had started her yatra from this region and spent nearly two weeks to regain party’s lost ground in this region.
Meanwhile, Raje has constituted the election manifesto committee of the party, which would be headed by Gulab Chand Kataria, party’s leader in the Assembly.
Once a detractor of Raje, Kataria of late has become close to Raje and was in-charge of her yatra in the Mewar region, from where he belongs. Since then, he is moving with Raje to send the message that there was no factionalism in the party and Raje was their supreme leader.