JAIPUR: While the tussle in the Congress appears to have calmed down, the religious tour of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Mewar has raised political temperatures in the BJP in Rajasthan. The former chief minister began her yatra from Sanwaliya Ji Temple in Chittorgarh on Tuesday. She will cover six districts till November 25 during which she will visit Tripura Sundari Temple in Banswara, Shrinath Ji Temple in Nathdwara and the Eklingji and Charbhuja temples in Udaipur.
She will also address meetings at different places. She will also pay homage to party leaders who passed away due to Covid-19 and pray for the state’s prosperity in various temples. “From the very beginning, I believe in ‘dharm-neeti’ instead of ‘rajneeti’,” Raje said.
“My aim is not political but I only want to meet all those who are a part of our family and give strength to those families who have lost their loved ones due to Covid. And I want to go to all these temples which have always helped us in order to thank them as Covid threat is now being removed from our lives.” Though Raje claimed that the tour was apolitical, it has set off a buzz that she is trying to once again reassert herself ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.
Raje’s yatra comes after the BJP’s crushing defeat in the bypolls in two seats in Mewar, with party’s candidates coming at number three and four positions. Interestingly, Mewar, one of the most politically crucial regions of the state, is the stronghold of her main rival in the party and the leader of opposition, Gulabchand Kataria.
According to sources, Kataria has not even been informed about Raje’s tour. Raje loyalists from across the state have become active again in this important division. Leaders supported by the former CM like Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Pratap Singh Singhvi, Prahlad Gunjal, B S Rajawat and Ashok Parnami are all seen as active in the yatra. Political experts believe Raje aims to show her penetration in her rival’s bastion which is set to intensify the fight for supremacy in the party.