All the BJP’s men

The Election Commission will do its bit but the BJP has planned out strategic deployment of its own central forces during polling for three ...

The Election Commission will do its bit but the BJP has planned out strategic deployment of its own central forces during polling for three state Assemblies on December 1. The party has drafted almost a dozen central ministers to oversee polling in strategically important areas of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Two Union Ministers of State for Home, I.D. Swami and Swami Chinmayanand, will camp in the chief ministerial constituencies of Raghogarh in Madhya Pradesh (Digvijay Singh) and Marwahi in Chhattisgarh (Ajit Jogi) to ‘‘foil any attempt at rigging’’. Another Union Minister of State, Vallabhai Kathiria, will take charge at Jodhpur, keeping an eye on the local Sardarpura constituency, from where Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot is contesting.

‘‘The ministers will function as party leaders without any official paraphernalia,’’ said party spokesman Prakash Javadekar, dismissing suggestions that the efforts were to influence polling.

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The strongest deployment is billed for MP, where pollsters predict a BJP victory. Union Textile Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, who is close to BJP chief ministerial candidate Uma Bharati, will be stationed at Shivpuri while Nagmani will hold fort at Bhind, Sanghpriya Gautam at Jhabua, Juel Oram at Alirajpur and Sanjay Paswan at Satna. Urban Development Minister Bandaru Dattatreya will be based at Durg to oversee polling in areas adjacent to his home state, Andhra Pradesh.

Rural Development Minister Kashi Ram Rana has been assigned Jaipur while Jaywantiben Mehta will be in charge of Udaipur. Subhash Maharia will camp at his home turf, Sikar, to monitor Jat-dominated northern Rajasthan.

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