It is yatra time in poll bound Rajasthan. The ruling Congress party has already embarked on it on Saturday, whereas State BJP president Vasundhara Raje is all set to start her yatra from April 4.
The Congress has given name of its yatra as Sandesh Yatra, aimed to reach out to the common man to apprise him about the achievements of the Ashok Gehlot Government.
On the other hand, focus of Raje’s yatra — Suraj Sanklap Yatra — would be on the misdeeds of the Congress Government. At the same time, the BJP leaders would compare its previous Government with the present Government to urge the voters to return the BJP back to power in the coming Assembly elections, which are only a few months away.
The BJP was preparing for this ambitious yatra of Raje soon after her appointment as State BJP president early this year. Panicked ruling Congress party leaders last week hurriedly announced party’s Sandesh Yatra to counter Raje’s Suraj Sanklap Yatra, which was evoking big response even before it was started.
The kicking-off event of the Sandesh Yatra from its State headquarters by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and RPCC president Chadrabhan, left the party leaders high and dry as despite their best efforts workers’ turnout at the venue was not only poor but sans senior leaders, including its Union Ministers and party MlAs. They had to console themselves when the yatra reached Bassi, its first stop, where turnout was more than moderate.
Other than lal Chand Kataria, not a single Union Minister from the State was present on the occasion. AICC general secretary and in-charge of Rajasthan, Mukul Wasnik, was to flag off the yatra. But even he did not turn up at State party headquarters.
Though party leaders claims that it was the show of the organisation, Sandesh Yatra looked like a semi-Government event. As per the details of the Sandesh Yatra, Gehlot would lay foundation stones of various schemes in the area during the yatra. He is also expected to announce new schemes for the areas.
Though the leaders says it would be nearly three-month-long yatra, all details of the yatra are yet to be made known.
On the other hand, the BJP leaders are leaving no stone unturned to make Suraj Sanklap Yatra as mega political event almost on the line of Raje’s Parivartan Yatra five years back, which led the party to come to power in 2003 Assembly elections.
Nearly three-month-long yatra of Raje would be flagged off by party president Rajnath Singh at Char Bhuja in Rajsamand district in southern Rajasthan. This is the same place from where Raje hadstarted her Parivatan Yatra.
Senior party leader and MP Bhupendra Yadav would be in charge of this seven-leg yatra, which would cover all the 200 Assembly constituencies and all the 33 districts of the State. It would be culminated at Jaipur in the last week of July with State level rally of the party.
According Kailash Nath Bhat, spokesman of the State BJP, the yatra would cover a total distance of more than 13,000 km. Raje would address about 300 large rallies besides more than 1000 road side public meetings.
On April 4, all the party MPs, MlAs, and elected members of municipal bodies and panchayats would be present on the occasion. “We have fixed a target to assemble about a lakh party workers in the very first public meeting at Char Bhuja,” said Bhat.
Besides party leaders, a number of Hindu saints would attend the function to bless Raje, he said.