At least two-three lakh beneficiaries of government schemes are expected to turn up for the rally at Jaipur tomorrow.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) campaign for the upcoming Rajasthan assembly elections with a rally Saturday to be attended by beneficiaries of various NDA welfare schemes.
The rally, at Jaipur’s Amrudo ka Bagh, comes less than six months before the state goes to the polls to elect its 200-member assembly. All 23 BJP MPs from Rajasthan, including union ministers, as well as MLAs, have been asked to be present at the rally.
The state is led by a BJP administration headed by Vasundhara Raje, who assumed office after the BJP stormed to victory in 2013 with a seat share of 163.
Sources in the party said the rally for beneficiaries alone is in line with the directive issued by the PM and party chief Amit Shah calling for MPs and state units to spread the achievements of the government in their respective states.
For Saturday’s rally, senior leaders in each district have been asked to identify beneficiaries of 10 to 12 government schemes, and bring them, a source said.
State BJP general secretary and Nohar MLA Abhishek Matoria said approximately 2.5 to 3 lakh beneficiaries were expected to attend the rally.
“What better way to kick off the poll campaign than showing the country what the Modi government has done? The actual beneficiaries would be attending the PM’s address,” he said, “This would send a message about the government’s work to the larger audience.”
Sources in the party said the rally will also serve as a platform to introduce the beneficiaries with their MPs and MLAs. “Every MP and MLA will build a database of beneficiaries that will enable them to re-establish contact ahead of polls,” said a senior party leader.
Coming together
The state unit of the party has been through an internal storm just recently over who should be elected its chief, with the decision also pitching Raje and Shah against each other.
The senior leaders had reportedly been issued a directive to sort out their problem before 7 July, the scheduled date of the rally.
Raje’s writ prevailed finally, as the candidate she supported, M.L. Saini, was inducted as state BJP chief on 29 June.
Highly placed sources in the party said the appointment of Saini, an ardent RSS man seen as a dedicated worker of the BJP who knows its functioning in and out, had been welcomed by BJP cadres.
“He does not want any post or position. Even today, he is ready to work anywhere the party needs him to be. He had been an ardent party worker and the cadre respects him,” said a senior party leader.
“This will surely be seen in the success of the rally on 7 July,” the senior leader added.