JAIPUR: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi are likely to address a public meeting in Baneshwar Dham in Banswara after the three-day Chintan Shivir (brain storming session) in Udaipur from May 13 to 15, leaders familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Sonia Gandhi will inaugurate a bridge built at Baneshwar Dham and will address a public meeting on May 16, a senior Congress leader said.
Rajasthan tribal affairs minister Arjun Singh Bamnia inspected the Dham on Wednesday and said this will be the second visit of the Gandhis to the Dham. They had visited the Dham before 2018 assembly elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also addressed a meeting at Dham during the run up to the last assembly polls in 2018. Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to visit Dungarpur-Banswara district in May, with an aim to strengthen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the tribal dominated southern Rajasthan.
In April end, chief minister Ashok Gehlot visited the tribal dominated Dungarpur district and highlighted the government’s programs and achievements. He attended the Kissan and Patidar convention (mahasamellan) in tribal dominated Sagwara area of Dungarpur district.
On Wednesday, Gehlot was again in southern Rajasthan to inspect preparations for the Chintan Shivir. “The preparations for the Chintan Shivir have started, it will be held on May 13, 14 and 15. Our senior leaders from all over the country will come and we will sit and talk, and whatever decisions will be made, they will come in front of you,” Gehlot said in Udaipur.
Ahead of assembly polls in Gujarat and next year’s polls in Rajasthan, both the BJP and the Congress are focusing on the tribal areas, especially with the emergence of the Bhartiya Tribal Party in the last assembly polls. There are 15 assembly seats in Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Pratapgarh, which are reserved for tribals.
Of the 9 assembly seats in Dungarpur and Banswara district, the BJP has three, Congress has four and BTP has two.
Political analyst Manish Godha said that both the parties have entered into the election mode. The BJP and the Congress leaders are constantly visiting the Udaipur division. Tribal vote bank is important for both parties as they have dominance on the majority of seats apart from reserved seats in the Udaipur division.
