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The Congress party is gearing up for its election campaign in eastern Rajasthan, focusing on its demand for national status for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP). The party aims to secure a significant number of the 83 Assembly seats in the region from this campaign.
In the 2018 elections, Congress won 49 seats, BJP secured 25, and independent candidates claimed eight seats, with the Rashtriya Lok Dal winning one in the region.
The campaign will kick off from Baran district, a part of the proposed ERCP, an ambitious irrigation and drinking water solution for 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan.
"We are taking out a yatra against the betrayal of the Centre over the ERCP. We are starting our election campaign on October 16 from Baran district. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge is coming, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address a rally in Sikrai on October 20," Gehlot told reporters on Friday.
The project, initiated by the previous BJP government, has been a focal point of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's demands for national recognition. The Congress plans to hold public meetings and rallies, emphasising the delay caused by the BJP for political gains and aims to maintain its stronghold in eastern Rajasthan. The ERCP, estimated at over Rs 40,000 crore, could significantly impact the region's irrigation facilities on 200,000 hectares.
"Sixteen projects of national importance are running in the country. There can also be a 17th. Had the project been completed at a fast pace, the water crisis (in the region) could have been reduced. But they (Centre) created hurdles for five years," Gehlot alleged.
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Gehlot also accused the BJP fir stopping several projects, including a refinery and the Jaipur Metro, proposed between 2008 and 2013 by the then Congress government. The Congress also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to grant national status to the ERCP during election rallies in 2018. However, the BJP blamed the Congress-led state government for "doing politics" over the project and not taking steps towards its completion.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday told PTI, "Ashok Gehlot wanted to do politics on this (ERCP) issue. This was Gehlot's failure. Despite repeated talks, no positive cooperation was received from Rajasthan."
The Congress party aims to go door-to-door to inform people about BJP's delays in this project through this yatra.
Rajasthan state Assembly elections will be held on Saturday, November 25, and the results are expected to be released on December 3, along with four other states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram. The Rajasthan Assembly has 200 seats, and a party must secure 101 to form the government.
(With agency inputs)
