Rajasthan: BJP Taking Tried-And-Tested Yatra Route, Looking For Saleable Local Face To Lead

Jaipur: The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party will intensify its poll campaign in Rajasthan with its favorite mode of going to the people, the Yatras. The party is planning to undertake statewide Yatras from religious places, though the face of the leader to lead these Yatras is yet to be decided. 

The party's campaign at present is dependent on its central leaders as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the party President JP Nadda visiting the state and holding rallies almost every fortnight. PM Modi himself has visited the state eight times in the last 10 months and his next visit is scheduled for July end at Kharnal, Nagaur while party president Nadda is coming to Jaipur on Sunday, but despite these frequent visits the party feels that it needs the local leadership to take the campaign to grassroots. Besides this, as the assembly elections will take place in four other states also, it will not be possible for the central leadership to focus only on Rajasthan.

The plan for the yatras and the party’s strategy for the polls was discussed at a two-day meeting of the BJP in Sawai Madhopur.

Time and place of Yatras still undecided

The party spokesperson Ramlal Sarma confirms that the party is planning to undertake Yatras but the time and places are yet to be decided, although sources in the party said that the yatras may begin from three religious places, Ganesh Temple in Sawai Madhopur, Banswada’s Beneshwar Dham, and Gogamedi in Hanumangarh and will conclude in Jaipur. 

Notably, Yatras have always remained an integral part of BJP's poll campaign in Rajasthan. Former CM Vasundhara Raje held the Parivartan Yatras in 2003 and 2013 and the party got a thumping majority in both the elections. Vasundhara Raje was roped in as the party face of the Yatra of 2003 and the party for the first time got majority seats (120) in the state in 2013 again the Yatra worked for the party and it got 163 seats, the highest ever for the party. 

Although this time it is not clear yet who will lead the Yatras. Raje is in the front line but not likely to lead the yatra alone. The party is talking about collective leadership and there are chances that three-four prominent leaders will lead the yatras.