A day after BJP’s highly publicised rally featuring Narendra Modi in Jaipur on September 10, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi would address the state’s tribal populace at Salumber in Udaipur district.
Political observers are already seeing the Congress rally as the ruling party’s hurried response to the opposition that has created much hype over Modi’s public assembly in Jaipur next week. Rahul’s sudden programme, though, has not affected the Congress’s earlier strategy of organising a public rally in Jaipur that would be addressed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
“Plan to invite Soniaji to Jaipur for a major public rally this month stands unchanged; only the dates are to be finalised. But first, Rahul Gandhi would attend an Adivasi Kisan Sammelan at Salumber on September 11. It would be a historic rally,” Congress state president Chandrabhan told TOI. The party is also planning a second programme for Rahul this month. The Congress vice-president has been invited to lay the foundation stone of the Parwan river dam project in Baran-Jhalawar district-another tribal region of the state-on September 17. Rahul is, however, yet to give consent for the second programme.
The Congress and the BJP, the state’s two main political parties consider the tribal belt of Udaipur quite significant to their fortunes in Rajasthan. This belt, which spreads through the Mewar and the Vaagad regions in southeastern Rajasthan and covers seven districts, has 35 assembly seats. Past election trends show that the party that takes the lead in this belt ultimately gets to form the government in the state. The ruling Congress currently holds 24 of the 35 seats here. The Congress inviting Rahul to the belt this month seems to be the party’s strategy to tap the tribal voters early for the assembly elections due this year.
“Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress state president Chandrabhan would go to Salumber on September 4 to take stock of the rally preparations there. Both leaders would also hold a meeting of senior Congressmen from the region the same day,” Congress spokesperson Satyendra Raghav said. Salumber assembly seat, which is reserved for the ST candidates, is currently held by Congress’s Basanti Meena, who is wife of Udaipur MP Raghuveer Meena. Of the 35 assembly seats in the Udaipur division, 16 are reserved for the ST candidates considering the vast presence of the community here.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Urban-Modi-to-tap-city-on-Sept-10-rural-Rahul-to-woo-tribals-next-day/articleshow/22245171.cms