PM to launch his Raj campaign in Alwar on Sunday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his campaign for the December 7 Rajasthan assembly elections on Sunday from Alwar, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had lost the Lok Sabha by-election in February. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address three poll rallies in western Rajasthan a day earlier. He had campaigned in the state’s Kota region on October 25.
Modi was in Ajmer on the day the assembly elections were announced on October 6. He attended a rally the BJP had organised to mark the conclusion of chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra to galvanise support ahead of the polls.
The BJP lost all eight assembly segments in the Alwar Lok Sabha by-poll. In 2014, the BJP had won seven of these seats. Due to the by-election rout, the party dropped six of the legislators for the assembly elections on December 7. Sons of two dropped legislators have been given BJP tickets.
The Congress began its poll campaign by releasing a “charge sheet” against the BJP government. It accused the Vasundhara Raje-led government of failing to address the farmers’ concerns and dealing with rising unemployment and derailing the state’s economy.
Congress state president Sachin Pilot said the “charge sheet” highlights the BJP’s misgovernance and failure to fulfill the promises it had made.
BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek hit back saying the Congress lost the people’s mandate in the last assembly and Lok Sabha polls because of corruption.
Leaders of the two rival parties said that Modi and Gandhi have packed schedules for Rajasthan once the polling takes place in Madhya Pradesh on November 28.
Among the state leaders, Pilot will start his tours from Friday. He will visit three districts to address five public meetings. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot will also visit as many districts in South Rajasthan to address as the same number of rallies. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje will address seven rallies in five districts.
The parties are gearing for the campaign after the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. As many as four ministers – Rajkumar Rinwa, Surendra Goyal, Hem Singh Bhadana and Dhan Singh Rawat – in Raje cabinet continued to be in the fray as rebel candidates.
BJP legislators Bhawani Singh Rajawat, Gyandev Ahuja and Anita Singh withdrew their candidatures after they spoke to senior party leaders.
Ahuja, who was contesting from Sanganer, was made the party vice president after a meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah.
Two former Congress ministers, Mahadev Singh Khandela and Babulal Nagar, and six former legislators are still in the fray as rebels.
After the last day of the withdrawal of nominations, 2,294 candidates remain in the fray. The maximum number of candidates -- 46 -- are contesting from the Kishanpole constituency in Jaipur. Sikrai in Dausa district has the minimum of four candidates in the fray.
The BJP won all 25 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan in the 2014 general election. But it lost two – Alwar and Ajmer – in the by-elections held following the death of incumbent lawmakers.
JAIPUR:
LEADERS OF THE TWO RIVAL PARTIES SAID THAT MODI AND GANDHI HAVE PACKED SCHEDULES FOR RAJASTHAN ONCE THE POLLING TAKES PLACE IN MADHYA PRADESH .