Raje's crucial pre-poll yatra begins

The stage is set for the crucial Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra led Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. The yatra will set the mood for a pre-poll campaign for the BJP in Rajasthan.

The 40-day yatra will begin from Charbhuja Ji Nath temple (350 km from Jaipur) and will be flagged-off by BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday.

After flagging off the yatra Vasundhara and Shah will reach JK Stadium in Kankroli in a helicopter to address a gathering of around two lakh people.

The last-minute preparations are on for the address.

"We have made six domes which are waterproof considering the monsoon season. We are expecting around two lakh supporters to attend the inaugural sabha of the yatra. Most of the attendees will come from Udaipur division", Social Justice Minister and BJP leader Arun Chaturvedi, who was taking stock of the preparations at the venue, told DH.

Most of the MLAs are mobilising party workers in their constituencies to make the rally a historic one.

Vasundhara will cover a distance of 6,054 km and visit 165 Assembly constituencies across the state in a refurbished rath (chariot) in form of a deluxe bus equipped with a lift for easy access to the roof.

The chariot is also equipped with a makeshift office and has a smart TV for live streaming the yatra and to get a feedback from the locals, who come to participate in the yatra.

Moreover, the bus is also equipped with a sofa, a bed and a refrigerator.

However, Raje will also be taking helicopter rides in constituencies that are not easily accessible.

Will Charbhuja be lucky again

Vasundhara is repeating the same venue (Charbhuja temple) for the third time to start her election campaign.

Earlier, she took out two election yatras from this temple, in 2003 and 2013, while being the leader of the Opposition.

The yatra becomes crucial for Vasundhara after BJP president Amit Shah announced that she will be the chief ministerial candidate for Rajasthan if the BJP emerges as a winner.

Whenever Vasundhara had started her yatras from Charbhuja ji Temple, the results have been favourable both for her and for the local leaders there.

Raje has helped form BJP government twice in the state.

On both the occasions, BJP candidate from Kumbhagarh, Surendra Singh Rathore, had won with a good margin.

In 2003, BJP candidate Surendra Singh Rathore defeated Congress stalwart Hiralal Devpura by a margin of more than 24,000 votes.

Similarly in 2013, when the BJP was fighting back to come to power, once again Rathore emerged victorious and defeated Congress candidate Ganesh Singh Parmar by more than 27,000 votes.