DOUBLE ENGINE DESERT BLITZ

It became New Delhi versus Jaipur in poll-bound Rajasthan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah leading the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) charge against Congress chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

- Rohit Parihar

On October 2, Modi landed in Chittorgarh to unveil development projects worth Rs 7,000 crore. This was his second visit to the state in just over a week.

If Modi was back in the thick of things after a two-month hiatus with a massive rally in Jaipur on September 25, Shah was also in the state capital, along with BJP national president J.P. Nadda, two days later to hold talks with state-level senior leaders.

Trying hard to take along the many factions, the BJP is yet to come out with its first list of candidates in Rajasthan. Party insiders say that Shah has now been tasked with ironing out differences and finalising the names. On September 27, he and Nadda were busy holding meetings till late past midnight, with another round early in the morning, before flying back to Delhi.