PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Dausa may be boost for BJP in eastern Rajasthan

JAIPUR: State BJP is taking PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Dausa on February 12 as a ‘game changer’ for its poll prospects in eastern Rajasthan, which recorded its worst performance in the 2018 assembly elections. Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Dausa-Sohna stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway followed by a public address in Dhanawar village in Dausa.The visit is Modi’s fourth in-person visit to Rajasthan since September 30 keeping the state unit on its toes.
The party has mobilised its MPs and elected representatives of eight districts to cover 35 assembly constituencies for the public address. Of eight districts, four are in the Bharatpur division—Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur. Alwar, Jaipur and Dausa in the Jaipur division and Tonk in the Ajmer division.
“Modi’s visit in Dausa will set to release a new lease of energy in the party workers, leaders and the common man. His earlier three visits — Dungarpur, Mangarh (Banswara) and Asind (Bhilwara) — had broken all barriers like caste, creed and region strengthening the party like never before. The visits have reaffirmed the faith of caste and communities in the party and undoubtedly it will be a turnaround for the party in eastern Rajasthan,” said Satish Poonia, BJP state president, while commenting on the impact of Modi’s visits.
The state unit is upbeat over the overwhelming response received at Asind (Bhilwara) and Mangarh (Banswara) in making party inroads in the Gujjar community and tribal of notified areas. The former has nine MLAs in the assembly of 200 seats with none from the BJP in the 2018 assembly polls while the party has credited the visit of Modi to the heartland of tribals, Mangarh, located on the Gujarat border to have scored extraordinary success in 2022 assembly polls in 2022.
Notably, at both places, the program was anchored by the union ministry of culture, but the state unit had its involvement from head to the toe. Even in Dausa, the program is organised by the ministry of road and transport.
“The clean sweep by BJP in Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019 offers enough empirical data for the state BJP to understand that voters in Rajasthan like to vote en-masse for Modi making local stalwarts like minions before his tall persona,” said an expert observing political parties in the state.
Also, planning a strategy for the country Congress demanded declaring ERCP as a national project. “Like the way PM Modi’s visit to Mangarh and Asind turned out to be purely political in nature, I am assuring the people that visit Dausa will be on similar lines. It is absurd to expect he will accord national status to the lifeline of eastern Rajasthan, ERCP,” said Govind Singh Dotasra, state president of Congress.