As in 2013, the chief minister will start the yatra with a trip to a Lord Vishnu temple in Rajsamand, Rajasthan.
New Delhi: Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje will set off on a 45-day statewide election campaign on 4 August ahead of assembly polls in the state later this year.
Where Raje’s campaign was named ‘Suraj Sankalp Yatra’ in 2013, it will hit the roads as ‘Suraj Gaurav Yatra’ this year, a tip of the hat, insiders say, to the party’s belief that the state government has fulfilled its promises.
“Last time it was a pledge (sankalp) we took to bring good rule. And now we have accomplished it, and that is why, this time, the yatra will be called Suraj Gaurav Yatra (gaurav translates to pride),” a source said.
Raje was voted to power in December 2013, the same time party colleagues Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh were elected chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, respectively.
Chouhan and Singh, however, began their yatras long ago. While the former’s has concluded, the Chhattisgarh CM’s road show is nearing its end.
Meet & greet
As in 2013, Raje will start the yatra with a trip to the Charbhuja temple in Rajsamand. The other two chief ministers too launched their roadshows with trips to famous local temples — Chouhan offered prayers at Ujjain’s Mahakaal temple, while Singh visited Dantewada’s Danteshwari temple.
Sources said Raje’s yatra is expected to last 45 days but can be stretched to 60 days, with the chief minister aiming to address at least four public meetings a day. She will take a break for one or two days every week to return to Jaipur to oversee the administration.
“The route of the yatra is still in the planning phase,” said a source, adding that there is still no clarity on which senior BJP leader will flag off her yatra.
Chouhan and Singh’s roadshows were launched by BJP president Amit Shah and home minister Rajnath Singh, respectively.
Earlier, Raje had held her pravas in various constituencies, a sort of meet-and-greet where she met the beneficiaries of government schemes and sought to resolve citizen grievances, besides interacting with BJP contenders for tickets. Over the past two-and-a-half months, she also held district-wise meetings to take stock of the organisation.
Asked how pravas was different from rallies, a senior party MLA said the former was more intimate and centred on understanding the party’s situation on the ground, while yatras were primarily about making a statement ahead of polls.
“During yatras, you seldom interact with people. You are welcomed, you speak about achievements and inaugurate projects on the way to the next stop,” the BJP leader added.