Battle of yatras in MP: BJP prepares outreach to take on Rahul's march

Bhopal: While the Congress has focused on the success of former national president Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will arrive in Madhya Pradesh on March 2, the ruling BJP is launching a push to engage with beneficiaries of central and state government projects throughout the state.

Six days before the Wayanad MP begins his Yatra on March 2 to travel through nine Lok Sabha constituencies in MP, Union Home Minister Amit Shah (regarded as the master strategist of the party's resounding assembly election victory in MP) will launch a nine-day campaign in order to interact with central and state government scheme beneficiaries in all 29 LS constituencies in MP, the New Indian Express reported.

On February 25, Shah would spend the entire day in MP, holding Lok Sabha election-related meetings. He will begin with the Gwalior-Chambal Lok Sabha cluster meeting (which includes Gwalior, Morena, Guna, and Bhind-SC constituencies) in Gwalior.

The start of Shah's day-long MP visit from Gwalior is significant since six days later, Rahul Gandhi's Yatra would enter MP from the same region.

On February 25, the union home minister will travel from Gwalior to Khajuraho to address both a public meeting and a meeting of voting booth committees. The Congress has vacated the Khajuraho seat, which is now held by state BJP president VD Sharma, for INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party as part of the seat-sharing arrangement.

The union home minister will conclude his day-long visit to MP on February 25 in the state capital Bhopal, with a gathering of intellectuals, followed by the launch of a nine-day push to engage with beneficiaries of national and state government projects.

Shah would visit three such beneficiary households in Bhopal before returning to Delhi. Since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Hitgrahis (families who benefit from central and state government direct benefit transfer schemes) have played a key part in the BJP's election victory in MP.