 "Rajasthan elections: BJP prez Nadda to visit Kota for poll preparations")
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J P Nadda visited Rajasthan on Wednesday to hold meetings with party office-bearers from the Kota division in preparation for the upcoming state Assembly polls on November 25. The discussions focused on all 17 Assembly seats in the Hadoti region,
The meeting was attended by several leaders, including State BJP in-charge Arun Singh, the party's state unit chief C P Joshi, local MLAs, and district presidents. One of the key discussion points was the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), a vital irrigation initiative spanning 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan, including the Kota division. The ERCP aims to enhance irrigation facilities and address drinking water challenges, making it a focal point of regional political discussions. The Congress party has embarked on a yatra, going door-door in the region to spread the message of BJP's lack of work in pushing the project forward.
Another essential part of Nadda's visit was regarding former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's much-speculated role in the upcoming elections. While Raje is considered a strong contender for the chief minister's position, the BJP has emphasised that the party's face in the elections will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party symbol, the "lotus".
The region is especially important for the upcoming state polls as several prominent politicians also hail from both BJP and Congress. On BJP's end Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, represents the Kota-Bundi parliamentary constituency, and Raje's son, Dushyant Singh, is the Lok Sabha MP from Jhalawar-Baran. Among Congress party members, three ministers in the Ashok Gehlot-led state government hail from the Kota division, namely Shanti Dhariwal (Kota), Pramod Jain Bhaya (Baran), and Ashok Chandna (Bundi).
Congress is yet to release its candidate list for Rajasthan, while BJP has already released its first list featuring 41 names for the 200-seat Rajasthan Assembly. Among the 41 names, seven members of Parliament have also been fielded.
The Rajasthan state Assembly elections will take place on November 25, with the counting of votes for all five poll-bound states to take place on December 3. The state has been dominated by Congress and the BJP parties, with alternating governments. Congress won the last elections in 2018.
(With agency inputs)