BJP names its election management chief from Gehlot's home turf

Jaipur, Oct 28 (IANS) Former MP and aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Narayan Pancharia is heading the BJP's election management committee here. He comes from Jodhpur, the home town of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the BJP seems to have made a big election move by appointing Pancharia to a strategic position.

Since his appointment, Pancharia has been busy holding back to back meetings and raising key issues. He is confident that the BJP will come back to power with a thumping victory while smashing its own record of 2013.

He says that the BJP has prepared a ‘Chakravyuh which will trap the Congress via the BJP’s chaupals for farmers, students and women which are being organised at different levels in various parts of the state. He is also confident that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will lose his home seat.

Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

IANS: How do you see the BJP in the 2023 assembly polls?

Pancharia: The BJP is all prepared to register a thumping win in 2023. We will smash our own record of 2013 and return with a huge victory margin. The BJP in fact has strategised to trap the Congress in a chakravyuh via chaupals for farmers, students, women and other such segments. We have conducted surveys to know what people want from us and are working accordingly to give them 'sushasan' which they need the most.

IANS: Please elaborate on these chaupals?

Pancharia: For years, the women's reservation bill was pending, but now it has been passed due to the strong determination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and women are quite happy about it. Now we are organising women's chaupal and discussing the achievements of the Modi government and the Congress failures. Women's vote percentage will be increased this time and they will vote in the BJP’s favour.

Further there are farmer's chaupals being organised as well. Here farmers discuss their issues. They are quite distressed due to fake promises being made to them by the Congress government on loan waivers and hence they are expressing their concerns in these chaupals.

Next is student chaupals. The youths are quite aggrieved due to frequent paper leaks. They are bearing the brunt of unemployment. Also they have been duped by the Congress government by fake promises of being given unemployment allowance. So these chaupals are addressing their concerns. We have given bikes to youths who will go to each household in their areas and speak about Modi’s achievements and Congress failures while raising slogans of the BJP.

Also, we are organising a samajik sammelan under which ST and OBC sammelans are being organised…

In fact, sant and mahatma sammelans will also be organised in this series as they are equally hurt by the comments of the INDIA leaders on Sanatan dharma and the silence of the Congress leaders on it. They have approached us and are ready to raise their voice against those who speak against Sanatan.

IANS: What will be the core issues?

Pancharia: Law and order, appeasement, unemployment and paper leak and atrocities on women will be major issues. State Congress chief Dotasara, it has been reported, has made many members of his family RAS officials, so the Congress leadership will be targeted and we are sure that CM Gehlot will get defeated in his home turf this time.

We have never seen the Congress leaders going to temples before 2014, however now many leaders can be seen visiting temples. We will raise these points. The CM's and my constituency are the same. I have never seen any Katha or religious discourse being organised at his place anytime. So we will make the public aware of how they are now adopting fake faces for the sake of votes.

IANS: Any special strategy to cater to different segments?

Pancharia: We have decided to reach to the grassroots and hence have brought in vistaraks. They have been given motorcycles to ensure they go to villages and discuss Modi's achievements and the Congress failures at length

IANS: Your take on CM Gehlot praising Vasundhara again and again?

Pancharia: At times, Gehlot praises our strong leader Vasundhara Raje, There is no harm in it. This is politics. Our leader and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee also praised Indira Gandhi. In fact, our PM Narendra Modi has also termed Gehlot as his friend. So there is nothing wrong in such statements as they are part of politics.

IANS: Vasundhara was absent in many BJP yatras and many of her supporters' tickets were cut? Your take on it?

Pancharia: Vasundhara is the strongest leader of our party as per surveys. She has been attending all those meetings and events where her presence is a must. Yes, she has been absent from some but this is because she has other assignments too, being the national vice president of the party.

IANS: Why is the BJP going faceless in these elections.

Pancharia: The BJP has a policy in a state where it is not in power, it has never announced the CM face. This has been the party's policy for years.

IANS: Surveys say it’s a tough fight this time between the Congress and the BJP? Your opinion?

Pancharia: The Lotus will bloom on December 3 and the Congress will face a major defeat. We are going through advance planning and proper strategies while working in a system. Look at the Congress, they are taking so much time in announcing their candidates. There is a strong internal rift. In fact, there is a conflict between them and the people too which will become a reason for their downfall.

Meanwhile, the BJP has strategized to reach out to each home in each village.

Not even one village will be left where no party worker has visited, we will go there and have food, chaupal will be held where the Congress’ unfulfilled promises will be discussed,

Each vidhan sabha seat will be visited by senior leaders, all panchayat samitis will have local leaders playing social engineering cards, gram panchayat residents will be contacted via youth workers. Not even one house will be left which BJP workers will not have visited.

So we are confident that we will register a thumping victory, rooting out the Gehlot government and also ensuring that Gehlot loses this time from his home turf. Our USP is that we have good netas, Good Niyat and Good Niti.