BJP to take out 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' in parts of MP ahead of polls

In the run-up to the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh due by the year-end, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to take out 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' (victory resolution march) in parts of the state, a party functionary said.

These yatras are likely to be taken out in September, but their schedule will be finalised and announced shortly, he said. The decision was taken during the four-hour long meeting of the BJP's core committee chaired by Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah late Wednesday night, the party functionary said.

These yatras would be taken out from Ujjain, Jabalpur, Sagar and Gwalior and Chitrakoot cities, he said.

By taking out the Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Ujjain, the party aims to cover the Malwa region, while these exercises in Jabalpur and Sagar are aimed at reaching out to the voters in Mahakoshal and the Bundelkhan regions respectively. The yatras in Gwalior and Chitrakoot will cover the Chambal and Vindhya regions, the party insiders said.

The party plans to rope in its topmost leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda, among others to kick off these yatras, they added.

Ahead of the assembly elections in Karnataka earlier this year, the BJP took out four such yatras there in March. However, the saffron party failed to retain power in the southern state as the Congress received an overwhelming mandate from the voters.

In the past assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP had taken out 'Jan Ashirwad Yatras' under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The last assembly poll in the state, held on November 28, 2018, threw up a hung House with the Congress emerging as the single largest party by winning 114 seats in the 230-member House. The BJP won 109 seats. The Congress, which came to power in MP after a 15-year gap, formed a coalition government led by Kamal Nath. However, the dispensation collapsed in March 2020 after several MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned and joined the BJP, paving the way for Chouhan to return as chief minister.