Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visits Vasundhara Raje ahead of PM Modi's Rajasthan rally, sparks speculation

Leading up to the eagerly awaited mega event by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajasthan, which is among the five state assemblies for which elections will be announced this year, Union Minister and Member of Parliament for Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, paid an unexpected visit to the residence of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. This impromptu meeting sparked significant political discussions and curiosity.

Jaipur: In the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-decibel event in poll-bound Rajasthan today, Union Minister and Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat made a surprise visit to former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's residence, setting off political discussions and intrigue.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will commence its campaign for the state elections, initiating with a grand "Parivartan Maha Sammelan" in Jaipur, where PM Modi is slated to deliver a crucial address. This event signifies the culmination of the BJP's extensive four-phase "Parivartan Yatras" that were spearheaded by senior party leaders across Rajasthan, traversing all 200 assembly constituencies with the aim of building momentum for the party ahead of the impending state elections.

Raje had been conspicuously absent from the Yatra on her home turf in Jhalawar and Kota over the past two days. Shekhawat's impromptu visit, which has ignited political conjecture, is being perceived as a gesture to convey that Vasundhara Raje is firmly aligned with the BJP and is content with the collaborative leadership approach of the Parivartan Yatra.

The relationship between these two leaders has remained distant since Raje expressed her opposition to Shekhawat's appointment as the BJP chief in Rajasthan back in 2018. At that time, she contended that his appointment would alienate the Jaat community from the party in the 2018 elections. After their meeting, Raje also attended the BJP's core committee meeting held late in the evening at the party's office in Jaipur.

Today's grand rally, scheduled to take place in Dadiya, Sanganer, situated 16 kilometers south of Jaipur, will witness the Prime Minister's participation in a public meeting centred on the women's reservation bill. The BJP's women's wing has been tasked with orchestrating this event and will supervise 42 blocks of the "Parivartan Sankalp Mahasabha." They are also set to shower flower petals on the Prime Minister as he arrives at the stage in an open jeep. Sources have indicated that upon landing in Jaipur via a special flight at 2 pm, the Prime Minister will initially proceed to Dhankya to pay homage to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay on his birth anniversary.

According to the state BJP, they anticipate participation from around five lakh people representing 52 thousand booths in the program. While a substantial number of women are expected to be in attendance, Union Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal said thousands of women will express their gratitude to PM Modi for the recently passed Women's Reservation Bill.

As Rajasthan gears up for the forthcoming state elections, the political landscape is abuzz with these significant developments. The visit of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to Vasundhara Raje, despite their prior differences, underscores the BJP's efforts to present a united front ahead of the crucial state polls.