Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 31 launched the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the Lok Sabha election in Rajasthan with a massive road show in Sikar. Mr. Shah, who arrived in Jaipur on a two-day visit, earlier held a meeting of party leaders and cluster in-charges of five Lok Sabha constituencies in Jaipur.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and BJP candidate Swami Sumedhanand, Mr. Shah participated in the roadshow in an open jeep, while a large number of chariots, bands, horses, camels, and decorated vehicles carrying tableaux and pictures of senior party leaders, followed his vehicle in the procession.
The roadshow began from the Shri Kalyan temple and passed through New Dujod Gate, Ghantaghar, and Jat Bazaar, and culminated at Tapriya Bagichi, covering a distance of about two kilometres in over an hour. BJP workers showered flowers at Mr. Shah’s vehicle and raised slogans in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders. Mr. Shah greeted the people and waved at them on the route.
Two-time MP Mr. Sumedhanand is pitted in the Jat-dominated Sikar seat against INDIA bloc candidate and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Amra Ram. The Opposition Congress, which holds five of the eight Assembly constituencies in Sikar, has entered into an alliance with the CPI(M) for the Lok Sabha seat.
Sikar is among the 12 seats which will go to polls in the first phase on April 19. It is also the hometown of Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra, who represents the Lachhmangah Assembly segment in the district.
Mr. Shah earlier addressed a meeting of the party’s cluster core committee, and BJP leaders from the Lok Sabha constituencies of Dausa, Karauli-Dholpur, Nagaur, Churu and Jhunjhunu in Jaipur, before going to Sikar. According to sources in the BJP, Mr. Shah gave suggestions to the leaders for the election campaign strategy, and asked them to strengthen booth management and ensure the participation of each party worker in poll-related activities.
