Dotasara figures on Congress posters now
After months of only CM Ashok Gehlot being projected in all ads issued by the ruling Congress in Rajasthan, there has finally been a change. With elections around, new Congress posters and hoardings are also splashing the face of PCC chief GS Dotasra. Last month, there was a buzz that Dotasra had strongly opposed the publicity materials created by Naresh Arora, the chief of the Design Box agency that is running the Congress campaign. The matter also reached Delhi and the bitterness between the two was so sharp that the CM had to visit Dotasra’s home to pacify him.
PM’s donation to temple sparks row
As elections in Rajasthan heat up, an envelope given as a donation by PM Narendra Modi at the Malaseri Dungri temple in Bhilwara in January has sparked a row. The issue was highlighted by Priyanka Gandhi who claimed that the TV reports showed that the envelope contained only `21. At her recent rallies in Dausa and Jhunjhunu, she took a dig at the PM and claimed that while donating a meagre amount, Modi only makes tall claims but delivers nothing. BJP complained to the EC which has issued a notice to Priyanka. RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal said had he been a PM, he would have donated not less than Rs 2,100.
RLP’s Beniwal ties up with ASP for Dalit votes
Although the fight in Rajasthan election is considered to be between Congress and BJP, an electoral tie up between Chief of RLP Hanuman Beniwal and Azad Samaj Party President Chandrashekhar Azad is creating waves in Rajasthan. Over the last decade, Beniwal has emerged as a strong face, specially in the forty seats in Rajasthan where the Jat votes are considered a decisive factor. Beniwal’s RLP which won three seats in last assembly polls is aiming for a much larger share of representation in the polls. By tying up with the SC face from UP who has a large following in the backward class, he is forging a Jat-Dalit combination as a new factor.
Rajesh Asnani
Our correspondent in Jaipur
rajesh.asnani@ newindianexpress.com