Lucknow: After wresting the Congress stronghold of Amethi in the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now has its eyes set on the next target — Rae Bareli, the constituency represented by former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi since 2004.
The BJP has planned a slew of high profile infrastructure projects, and is set to boost a local party face for the constituency, which is now the only one Congress has in Uttar Pradesh.
The party plans to take control of Rae Bareli, like it did of Amethi with Smriti Irani’s impressive win over Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Irani, who first fought against Rahul in the 2014 general elections, was given a free-hand in the intervening five years until the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP is now planning something similar with Dinesh Pratap Singh, its Lok Sabha candidate who lost to Sonia Gandhi.
“Smriti Irani had lost Amethi to Rahul Gandhi in 2014 but she worked hard in the constituency after that, the party promoted her and gave her powers in the area. A similar plan is in place for Dinesh Pratap Singh,” said an Uttar Pradesh BJP leader who didn’t wish to be named.
Singh had actually been a Congress leader until early 2018, and even represented the party as an MLC in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.
In the 2017 UP assembly elections, the BJP won three out of the five assembly segments in Rae Bareli and the Congress managed just two segments.
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Infra plans afoot
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh and the Modi dispensation at the Centre are now working to hasten projects in Rae Bareli — like setting up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), have the Ganga Expressway pass through Rae Bareli and complete railway projects by December.
While Rae Bareli’s ‘smart city’ bid was not fruitful in 2016, the district has inched closer to turning it into one.
“Right now, there is no smart city project underway but a lot of urban development projects at the local level are taking place. Big projects like AMRUT mission, Namami Gange, AIIMS are already in place,” said Rae Bareli district magistrate Neha Sharma.
“A lot of road widening projects, especially the national highway, have happened under the current government. Recently, five MoUs were signed with private investors including fabricators and feeder factory for rail coach furnishing businesses. A spice park for research on mint has also been set up,” said Sharma.
On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet cleared the way for the construction of AIIMS in Rae Bareli by allowing the demolition of old buildings on the land acquired for the project.
The Adityanath government has set April 2020 as the target for completion of the project. It was approved in February 2009, under the Congress-led UPA government at a cost of Rs 823 crore.
‘Generating employment’
In December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled plans to develop Rae Bareli as a hub for rail coach manufacturing when he launched the 900th coach manufactured at the Modern Coach Factory in the constituency.
While the project had been rolled out in 2007 under the UPA government at the Centre and a Bahujan Samaj Party government in the state, Modi claimed that the factory started functioning in earnest only after the BJP came to power.
“These projects are expected to generate employment in the area and also make people aware of the development being done under the BJP,” said the party leader quoted above.
“We are also ensuring that schemes like Saubhagya, Ujjwala and Swachha Bharat which provide basic amenities of electricity, LPG and toilets to people are implemented widely in Rae Bareli. This process is already underway,” added the BJP leader.
Strategy for lost seats
The BJP leaders in the state maintained that a strategy to claim lost seats in Uttar Pradesh was already in place.
“Be it Rae Bareli or any other place in UP where the BJP did not win, we made a special strategy for them earlier. It was unfortunate that we could not win Rae Bareli although we got Amethi,” said Rakesh Tripathi, spokesperson of Uttar Pradesh BJP.
“Because of Sonia Gandhi’s seniority and believing that it was her last elections, the people of Rae Bareli elected her. But the next election will be won by BJP there,” Tripathi.
Congress overhaul
Earlier this week, Sonia Gandhi and her daughter and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a series of meetings with party functionaries in Rae Bareli.
Sources in the UP Congress said a confidential report on Rae Bareli and Amethi was given to the two leaders.
“Major overhaul in the party organisation here is likely to happen in ten days. Right now, the workers and leaders are mostly indulging in blame game. While the Lok Sabha candidates blame the party organisation for not supporting them, the party’s functionaries are accusing the candidates,” said a senior UP Congress leader on condition of anonymity.
Moreover, a demand for making Priyanka Vadra the chief ministerial candidate for the UP assembly elections also emerged from a section of party members in Rae Bareli.
“It was a review meeting and there were all kinds of grievances and suggestions which were made. Priyanka did say that she knew who has worked during elections and who hasn’t,” said another Congress leader who didn’t wish to be identified.
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SAD. Even after 70 years Congress does not have a CM face for UP. Priyanka Vadra ? Are they Serious ? Priyanka is Fit to become Super PM like her MOM. PLZZ. do not Insult her by making her CM of UP : a backward state . CM Of Kerala ? Yes I will also Support her for Kerala.
Being a responsible and literate citizen let’s vow in name of Lord Ram that Congress should never come back . In fact Muslim and Islamic parties like Congress should not even exist.