Ashok Gehlot’s welfarism versus PM Modi’s ‘labhartis’

Jaipur: Even as Rajasthan is all set to go for assembly polls in December, the factionalism in the Congress and the BJP is out in the open.

While the high command in both the parties is trying to send out the message that all’s well in their party, things are not hunky dory. In the Congress, it’s Ashok Gehlot versus Sachin Pilot while in the BJP former chief minister Vasundhara Raje has been missing many crucial organisational events.

However, despite these differences, the two parties are working hard to emerge victorious and are confident of winning the elections.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is seen touring the state continuously while promoting his government’s schemes. For the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making frequent rounds of the state.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to reach voters door to door through the women being benefited by the Central government’s schemes, the Congress is also planning to go the same route.

CM Gehlot is meeting the beneficiaries of his much publicised inflation relief camps organised across the state. People in lakhs are attending these camps to express gratitude to the chief minister for getting a gas cylinder for Rs 500 and free electricity up to 100 units.

In fact, there are plans to give lakhs of women free mobiles on this Raksha Bandhan.

During the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had launched a campaign ‘Pehla Vote Modi Ko’. This time again the BJP is eyeing new voters. They are being contacted and plans are afoot to connect to the new voters at the booth level.

The Congress government in Rajasthan is also wooing young voters by promising them free coaching for competitive exams like the IAS, RAS and CET.

More than 10000 students have registered for it. The state government aims at connecting with 5 lakh students through this ambitious scheme.

In the fourth step, both parties are working hard to connect to the booth workers. While in the Congress, CM Gehlot has been travelling to the interiors to connect with the last mile voters, the BJP is gearing up its Panna Pramukh model to woo even the last voter.

The BJP is quite strong in this initiative for it has been working on it while the Congress is still working on recruiting leaders to pivotal posts.

The party had dissolved the Pradesh Congress Committee after a rebellion by Sachin Pilot. Since then, many significant posts are lying vacant.