Emerging as a cohesive party, the BJP in Rajasthan put up an impressive road show on Thursday to give rousing welcome to its newly elected State party president Vasundhara Raje.
In a well planned programme, it was decided that she would travel by road to reach Jaipur from Delhi. At Shahjahanpur, from where she entered the State in the morning, party workers, MLAs and MPs received Raje. Gulab Chand Kataria, who would soon replace Raje as leader of the party in the Assembly, was the first to receive the State BJP chief. A massive public meeting was arranged at this place, which was addressed by her and some other party leaders.
Raje’s cavalcade was having more than six hundred vehicles. It took her more than two hours to reach Behror, just a few kilometres from Shahjahanpur, as she had to stop frequently to receive garlands from the party workers, who were waiting on both sides of the road.
On her way to Jaipur she addressed nearly three dozen public meetings and was welcomed at 80 places.
Responding to the crowd, Raje said that the BJP was set to come to power again in the State as common man is fed up with the Ashok Gehlot Government. “During our Government we had put the State on fast track development and we would revive the same after coming to power again,” she said.
Old timers in the party says her body language was similar to 2003, when she undertook four-month-long Parivartan Yatra before the Assembly elections. Her mass popularity had led the party to gain power in the State in that elections.
Though she was to reach the State capital late in the afternoon, owing to receptions and welcomes which she addressed briefly, her arrival was delayed by several hours.
Party workers in the State capital had put up her posters and banners everywhere. There was hardly any space around the party headquarters where her banners were not seen.
If Rajasthan Vaishya Mahasabha had organised a mass arti to receive her near Kukas, in the State capital workers held musical concerts to welcome her. In the city alone she was welcomed and garlanded at 11 places.
According to State party general secretary Satish Punia, Raje would assume the office on Friday in the the presence of party leaders including central leaders Kaptan Singh Solanki and Bhupendra Yadav. She would sit in the same room where she used to sit after becoming State party president in 2003.
src: Daily Pioneer