LUCKNOW: As the five state assemblies elections conclude, BJP is got into Lok Sabha elections mode. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too seems to be battle ready and is set to storm the Gandhi bastion to
launch party’s 2019 campaign from Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituency of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday. Besides, dedicating development projects, the PM will also address a public rally in Rae Bareli on December 16.
Moreover. PM Modi will also flag off 900 newly-built coaches at Rail Coach Factory in the district before proceeding to Prayagraj to take the pulse of Kumbh preparations same day. In the month end the PM is expected to visit the eastern UP district Ghazipur on December 29.
As per the highly placed BJP sources, in the coming days, PM’s UP visits will be more frequent in order to push the party workers to pull up socks for the big battle ahead.
After facing a formidable challenge from the Congress in Hindi heartland – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – in the state assembly elections, the BJP has perhaps realised that the road ahead
to Parliament in 2019 would not be that smooth.
With hectic activities on in opposition camp, BJP top brass is focusing on keeping the party men in high spirits and PM’s Rae Bareli visit will be one step towards it. The intention is to rejuvenate the cadre and push them to deliver so that the party can at least touch 2014 mark in 2019. BJP national president Amit
Shah has been claiming that the BJP would better its performance in UP this time.
Noticeably, BJP has been concentrating on Amethi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency and Rae Bareli since 2014. The party has ensued to make it continous presence in the twin
districts since 2014 through development projects and other sops. Union Textile Minister Smirit Irani, who had contested against Rahul Gandhi in 2014 and had succeeded in shrinking his victory margin to some extent, has frequented Amethi regularly during the last four and a half years.
Moreover, the prospective alliance among regional satraps like SP and BSP and smaller parties like RLD, repeating 2014 in UP will be a daunting task for the saffron party given the factors like the anti incumbency, demonetisation and GST and above all four back-to-back bypoll defeats which have not gone down positively with the electorate.
However, even the opposition too is yet to get together to stitch a Mahagthbandhan against the ruling party. Chinks are already visible in the opposition unity even before the leaders could come to the table for discussions. Both SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati remained conspicuous by their
absence in the Monday meeting convened by TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu in Delhi to thrash put a common strategy to counter the BJP.
Moreover, the reservations Akhilesh and Mayawati have over Congress’s presence in any alliance in
UP is another high point to be settled by the opposition parties to keep their unity intact.