Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is embarking on a nine-day state tour spanning 18 districts and covering over 3,000 kilometres, according to a report by the Times of India. The aim of this tour or "yatra" is to gather suggestions from the public for Gehlot's ambitious "Mission 2030" campaign, beginning on September 27.
The yatra comes ahead of the Rajasthan state assembly elections slated for later this year. All 200 seats of the constituency are up for grabs.
This tour is seen as a response to the BJP's 20-day "Parivartan Sankalp Yatra", which is set to conclude with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Jaipur on September 25.
Gehlot's tour will include districts such as Jaipur, Sikar, Churu, Nagaur, Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Pali, Sirohi, Jalore, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, and Chittorgarh. It will cover over 100 constituencies and is considered one of Gehlot's final major initiatives as the state's Chief Minister.
During the tour, Gehlot plans to make more than 50 scheduled trips referred to as "Samvads," aiming to connect with as many people as possible. The purpose is to promote the Mission 2030 idea and gather feedback on various subjects, which will be incorporated into the Mission 2030 document.
The Mission 2030 campaign was launched in August, inviting suggestions through various platforms that would help Rajasthan become India's "top" state. The government reported collecting over 7.4 million suggestions from 4.5 million citizens through online and offline surveys.
The tour is seen as the second phase of Mission 2030, where government departments reached out to citizens for feedback in the first phase. This tour provides an opportunity for the public at large to directly engage with the government and share their suggestions.