As Assembly polls near, BJP's central leadership takes over the reins in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Aug 1 (IANS)  If political sources in the saffron party are to be believed, the central leadership of BJP has taken the reins of Rajasthan in its hands to mark a win in the forthcoming Assembly polls.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet on the 'Maha gherao' as proposed by the state BJP wing indicated this, said party sources.

PM Modi in his tweet said, “The way the present Congress rule has turned Rajasthan, the land of heroes and heroines, into a quagmire of misery and infamy, the public wants to get rid of it soon. The resolution taken by the people to uproot the misrule of the state is going to get a big boost from this campaign of the BJP,” he said.

Earlier, he supported the Rajasthan BJP’s 'Chalo Jaipur' slogan and while retweeting a Rajasthan BJP's tweet, he said, “Walk in the respect of daughters, walk in the upliftment of the poor, walk in the honor of Dalits, listen to the pain of the farmer, call out loud…,” he added.

Sources said that the BJP national president J.P. Nadda was in Jaipur recently where he chaired the core committee meeting of the party. 

During the meeting, Nadda reviewed the progress of the party's 'Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan' (Mega Contact Campaign) and also sought inputs from the central ministers and senior party leaders regarding their tours and outreach efforts. The discussion further included the party's blueprint for the upcoming elections in five states and the strategies to be adopted for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Nadda, in fact, met veteran leaders like Rajendra Rathore, Vasundhara Raje, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Satish Poonia each in different slots and had closed door meetings also. The message was loud and clear that the party needs to go for polls jointly.

Further, it’s an open secret now that the party leaders have announced that the state will go to polls on PM Narendra Modi’s face and work. The back to back tours of Modi to Rajasthan speaks in this reference. 

Party leaders said that a recent survey giving 88 seats to Congress and 118 seats to BJP has left the saffron party tense as the party workers were hoping to get a thumping victory with 170 seats.

However, now, when the polls are four months away and Congress, which has limited itself under 50 in 2013 and under 80 in 2003 polls, is now getting a prediction of 88 seats. This is a major concern for the party workers and hence comes the alacrity and agility of the Delhi leadership in Rajasthan as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is already busy winning hearts with his social security schemes which are a hit as of now, said sources.