Ahead of Rajasthan polls, BJP chief Amit Shah on house hunt

After failing to install its government in Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started preparation for the Rajasthan Assembly elections with an aim to retain power in the state.

As part of poll preparation, a team from Delhi BJP is looking for a house for BJP chief Amit Shah in the city.

According to sources in BJP office, Shah along with his core team will visit Jaipur by the end of June and will stay here for few days. But this time instead of staying at a guest house he will shift in a house with his other mates. However, his schedule has not been fixed yet. 

“We are looking for an accommodation for Shah preferably close to BJP headquarters. We are told that he will be visiting Jaipur every month for four to five days till the elections take place. Also some of his team members will shift to Jaipur till December," a senior BJP member told DH. 

The central team with the help of local BJP team has zeroed in on three accommodations, situated at Civil Lines, C Scheme and JLN Marg. All three places are close to party headquarters and accessible to all those visiting him. Incidentally, a team of BJP’s national IT wing is expected to move in flats at the C Scheme. This place was also selected by the Delhi team. 

One of the senior leaders who was the key person in preparations in 2017 when Shah visited Jaipur said, “Last year when Shah visited Jaipur, he told us in our meetings that he will be visiting regularly few months ahead of elections," a BJP leader said. 

Confirming that Shah's visit is on cards  BJP state media cell in-charge Anand Sharma said, "He is scheduled to visit Jaipur soon. But we are yet to receive any information.”

Limbo continues

Meanwhile, party workers are hoping that Shah visit will prove fruitful and the state BJP president will be elected soon. The decision to appoint a state president for the Rajasthan BJP continues to hang in a limbo even after the Karnataka elections. 

The state unit has remained without a chief for over five weeks after the exit of Ashok Parnami. Parnami who is seen as a loyalist of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, had to step down after the BJP suffered crushing defeats in the Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha bypolls and the Mandalgarh Assembly bypoll.

Initially, Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat's name was doing rounds for the state BJP chief post but Vasundhara was against his candidature.