Party may appoint her in-charge of the campaign committee; message then will be that Raje is the party’s face.
New Delhi
Taking no chances after the Karnataka defeat, the BJP is pulling out all the stops to win forthcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Adopting different strategies in these three states, the BJP in a surprise move announced candidates for the seats in MP and Chhattisgarh where its position is understandably a bit weak. The party is taking MP and Rajasthan as priority. The party may bet on former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje by appointing her the charge of the campaign committee. The message then will be that Raje is the party’s face. However, there will be no official announcement. Union minister Arjun Meghwal’s appointment as head of the manifesto committee seems to be paving the way for “Raje’s big role”. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s name is also doing the rounds for the post of campaign committee head. But BJP is not willing to take any chances in Rajasthan, given the Congress’ strong position. PM Modi may, therefore, give Raje a bigger role. The decision on CM may be taken after poll results. As part of strategy for MP, the ruling party BJP is keen to start aggressive campaigning as early as possible. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken charge of the campaign in MP. At the same time, Congress’ move to appoint Randeep Singh Surjewala as in-charge of MP is surprising. Congress has changed two in-charges in as many years in MP. In MP, it is Kamal Nath who is calling the shots. The Congress led by Nath has already scored over BJP in poll preparations. If the Delhi leadership of the Congress interferes too much in MP, then it might be counterproductive. BJP may make Surjewala’s “Rakshas” remark as a big issue during the campaign.
The BJP is sparing no effort to defeat the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh as well. But the tribal state is quite difficult for the saffron party. The BJP has no strong face to give a challenge to CM Bhupesh Baghel. The local Congress leadership is weighing heavily on the BJP in these three states. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s schemes are already creating an impact in the state.
Undoubtedly, MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan poll results will have their bearing on the Lok Sabha polls next year. With this in view, Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah have taken charge of the campaigning in these states. BJP leaders from other states have been given charge of one Assembly seat each. They will be giving reports on every seat. BJP has tried to take a lead over Congress by announcing some candidates early. But the way ahead is quite difficult. The saffron party is not in a hurry to announce candidates for Rajasthan. Senior party leaders are discussing all pros and cons on every single seat at the instructions of PM Modi. Sources say BJP believes that Gehlot’s schemes are making a positive impact for Congress. Secondly, the Congress has controlled factionalism. BJP is pinning its hopes on Rajasthan’s tradition to change the government every five years. BJP is also waiting for the Congress’ ticket allocation during which some MLAs, according to reports, might be dropped. These disgruntled legislators might harm the party. Internal survey of BJP confirms public resentment against some sitting Congress MLAs and ministers. However, Congress seems to have an edge over the BJP.
Barring the campaign committee, the BJP has announced all panels. Former MP Narayan Panchariya has been given charge of the election management committee. Meghwal has been given charge of the “Sankalp” committee. He will prepare BJP’s manifesto. Raje’s supporters are hopeful that she might be given campaign committee charge. The saffron party will launch a “yatra” from key religious places from 2 September. PM Modi will address the gathering on 25 September when the yatra will conclude. Factional fighting is rampant in Chhattisgarh BJP. The party believes that it will be able to fight on the basis of local candidates. Meanwhile, Amit Shah’s active involvement in campaigning in MP has boosted the morale of the BJP there. If Congress remains united in MP, it can give a tough fight to BJP in MP.