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Rajasthan Assembly Elections: Why there is no scope for any third party

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Rohit Parihar
Rohit PariharAug 31, 2018 | 12:22

Rajasthan Assembly Elections: Why there is no scope for any third party

Raje's strategy has been to go directly to the people to let them vent out any anger they have for her.

Rajasthan goes to the Assembly polls in December, and the political scenario has begun to heat up.

So far, there are no issues that one can call an election issue except for anger against the BJP government.

The contest is between ruling Bhartiya Janata Party and Opposition Congress.

There is no scope for any third front here.

So, both parties are working out their strategies in this initial phase. Right now, their main focus is on anti-incumbency.

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Congress, led by its state chief Sachin Pilot, is focussing on the failure of chief minister Vasundhara Raje's government to deliver what it could after getting an overwhelming three-fourth majority in 2013.

There is a wide perception in the state that the BJP government did not transform as much as it could have.

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Raje realised this damage done to her image only after the BJP lost three by-polls in February badly (India Today)

This perception has been a result of Raje’s over-cautious approach during her second tenure in taking decisions and interacting with that lot which can spread around a word about whether the government is good or bad.

This credit has worked well for Raje in saving her from controversies and charges of corruption, unlike her previous tenure.

There has been a pitfall to this guarded strategy to keep herself aloof of a lot who could take advantage of her in getting controversial things done.

Some of her ministers, MLAs and political appointees, have fuelled the perception of her inaccessibility and non-cooperation among party workers.

Raje realised this damage done to her image only after the BJP lost three by-polls in February badly.

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After that, her strategy has been to go directly to the people to let them vent out any anger they have for her.

So, during her ongoing Suraj Gaurav Yatra, she narrates at every gathering she addresses, the works that were to be done and asks local sarpanch or collector or any other official to confirm what all her government has done.

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Sachin Pilot has accused Raje of wasting state’s money on such yatras and rallies (India Today)

Expectedly, they nod in the affirmative. The BJP has supplemented this proactive approach to tell people what it has done for them with a novel strategy by offering evidence. It began by inviting on state expense two lakh beneficiaries of state and central schemes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Jaipur on July 7.

Similarly, another 40 thousand beneficiaries will be hosted in Jaipur on September 4 to celebrate Teachers’ Day.

Pilot has accused Raje of wasting state’s money on such yatras and rallies and has been putting a question a day to her seeking an answer to her government’s failure. Just when parties had focussed poll campaigns on achievements versus failures, a handful of Congress workers raising slogans for former Congress CM Ashok Gehlot hurled stones at Raje during her yatra through Gehlot’s home region, Jodhpur.

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That added a new dimension to the campaign with Raje accusing Gehlot of indulging in a dirty game out of frustration and calling Pilot a politically naive kid who is unaware of the state’s culture. While Gehlot consistently attacks Raje personally, Pilot has said Raje should answer his questions instead of attacking him personally.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

Last updated: August 31, 2018 | 12:22
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