Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to spring surprises during the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The PM might ask three to four BJP MLAs from Rajasthan to fight the parliamentary election. Some senior leaders might be sent to the state assembly once these legislators succeed in the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP strategists believe that the election of senior party leaders as MLAs will strengthen the government in Rajasthan. They also believe that the Congress is still a strong opposition bloc in assembly.
It means the party may drop some of its MPs in Rajasthan during ticket allocation. A two-day meeting to discuss all this has begun in Rajasthan. Senior leaders including former state BJP chief Satish Poonia and Bhajan Lal Sharma are attending the meeting. Several seniors from Rajasthan will attend the session on Saturday. After the meeting, a report will be submitted to the leadership in Delhi. Then a final call will be taken on this by the high command.
The Ram Mandir campaign is being given a big dimension by the party as well as PM Modi. Given this, the party will finalise the candidates as early as possible. Those who have crossed 70 years of age may be denied tickets. The MPs who switched over to BJP from other parties may also be dropped. A significant number of tickets may go to the youth and women.
The BJP is confident that it could sweep all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan due to the Ram Mandir issue. The BJP is also closely watching the internal tussle in the Congress. The saffron party may dent the grand old party in case the tussle aggravates. So PM Modi might continue his new experiments in Rajasthan.
CONGRESS’ FOCUS ON RAHUL’S YATRA
Congress is focused on the forthcoming Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to be launched by Rahul Gandhi. It is a challenge for AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the entire party to make the yatra a grand success. Congress strategists feel that only this yatra can bring victory for the party.