The Rajasthan unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday decided to delimit its existing 572 blocks in a bid to expand its support base and asked the district presidents to devote their time and energy for strengthening the party at the grassroots. The party's district unit presidents will not be allowed to contest the State Assembly elections.
These decisions formed part of the resolutions adopted in a two-day State BJP's executive committee meeting, which ended in Udaipur on Wednesday. While each block would comprise 50 polling booths, the party will organise a series of fairs, camps and marches to take its ideology to the people and get their support in the run-up to the 2018 Assembly polls.
State BJP president Ashok Parnami said the government and the party structure would work together to resolve people's grievances and ensure development of backward regions of the State. The resolutions passed in the State executive would form the basis of work by the district units, he said.
Cabinet reshuffle?
Amid indications that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje could shortly carry out reshuffle of the State Cabinet, some of the party members attending the meeting demanded action against former Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari, who has earned the reputation as a rebel through his repeated utterance against the top leadership.
“Mr. Tiwari has been trying to appropriate the legacy of our ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay by launching a front named after him,” said a leader who attended the meeting. One of the resolutions also said the party would celebrate significant days connected with Deendayal Upadhyay's life and his ideology of “Ekatma Manavavad”.
Former State BJP spokesperson Kailash Nath Bhatt said Mr. Parnami, who is an MLA from Adarsh Nagar in Jaipur, should set an example by announcing that he would not contest the next Assembly elections. “If he encourages and guides the party workers in this manner, we will win the Assembly polls for sure.”
While BJP national vice-president in charge of the State, Avinash Rai Khanna, warned the party workers against speaking out in opposition to the party leadership and government in public, Ms. Raje said the workers should provide a strong structure to the organisation and popularise the government's policies.
