Rajasthan Congress turns it into local fight; BJP keeps focus on Modi

With a newly elected BJP government in Rajasthan, the Congress is trying to turn the parliamentary election into a local fight on state-specific issues while the BJP is pushing the "double engine ki sarkar" model (entailing the same party in power at the Centre and the state) and keeping the focus on Prime Minister

Narendra Modi.

As 12 Lok Sabha constituencies of northern and eastern Rajasthan go to the polls on Friday, the Congress is talking about the first 100 days of governance under the BJP chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. Law and order in the state tops the Congress agenda during its election campaign. The party is raking up the murder of a businessman by the son of an inspector posted in chief minister's office in Jaipur.

At the same time, the way the BJP chose Sharma to lead the new government is being used by the Congress to paint him as an ineffective administrator inflicted on the state. BJP veteran and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia's reaction of surprise to a chit passed to her declaring Sharma's name as CM has given the Congress a new phrase - "parchi ka CM" (CM of a chit) - to beat the BJP with.

Speaking to ET, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said, "This is not Haryana that you can force anyone on the state. People have now realised this and know the true face of the BJP. Parchi ka CM won't work here."

Dotasra speaks about multiple promises made in the Congress' manifesto and a broad arc of issues such as unemployment, black money and unfulfilled promises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but targets the BJP's state governance.

The BJP's narrative, on the other hand, has a singular focus - PM Modi.

"The Congress might want to make it a local election but every elector knows that it is a parliamentary poll," said Rajendra Rathore, former leader of opposition. "We are speaking about newly constructed highways under Nitin Gadkari ji, PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, which have all improved the way of life for the people across the country."

Across constituencies, BJP candidates recount the achievements of the party-led central government over the past decade and Modi's standing in the international diplomatic circles. Addressing a small gathering in a village near Dhod, the BJP's Sikar MP Sumedhanand Saraswati said Modi had cracked down on corruption and his personal relations with world leaders ensured India a seat at the diplomatic high table.