Still dogged by his rebellious former deputy Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is leaving no stone unturned to seek another term, and, taking a leaf out of the BJP's playbook, is banking on the welfare schemes launched by his government, and a publicity blitzkrieg around them, as his biggest weapons. At the centre of this publicity drive is the old warhorse himself, a little pizzazz about his "good governance" the topping. Take the publicity mechanism for his schemes, for example. In August 2018, months before the last Rajasthan Assembly elections, then CM Vasundhara Raje had embarked on a yatra to different divisions of the state, interacting with the public. Raje's Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra had been organised by the BJP. Gehlot, who is seeking a fourth term in power, is on a tour as part of a government programme, to spread the message of his welfare schemes. “Aap mangte mangte thak jayenge, lekin main dete dete thakunga nahin (You may tire of demanding more, but I won’t get tired of giving),” the 72-year-old tells his audience. Gehlot seems to have learnt a lesson from his previous tenure as CM, when the Congress was seen as having failed to capitalise on his government's free medicine scheme. The course correction this time was evident as early as 2019, within a year of the Congress returning to power. In his very first budget, Gehlot announced that Janata Clinics will be opened to make healthcare services more accessible, especially to those living in urban areas with a dense population. These seemed a direct takeoff from the Delhi Aam Aadmi Party government's Mohalla Clinics. The next big welfare scheme announcement came in 2021 - the flagship Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Health Insurance scheme. While the previous Raje government had run the Bhamashah Health Insurance Scheme that catered to families covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), Gehlot said the Chiranjeevi scheme would cover not just NFSA beneficiaries and economically backward sections, but also people from high income groups, in all government hospitals and some private hospitals, by paying just over Rs 800 annually. This was marketed as Gehlot’s universal health coverage plan. Since its introduction, Gehlot has also increased the Chiranjeevi health insurance cover from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Ahead of elections, the Gehlot government has announced free electricity up to 100 units (another trick out of the AAP playbook) and waiving of fixed charges in electricity bills up to 200 units. The CM, who believes one reason for his government's loss in 2003 was a prolonged protest by government employees, has been quick to bring back the old pension scheme (OPS), before it became a poll issue. The demand has been rising across states, and the BJP paid a price for not heeding it in Himachal Pradesh, which was won by the Congress. The Gehlot government's estimated expenditure on social and community services in its election year budget, stood at Rs 97,030.91 crore (or 52.65% of total), nearly double of the Raje government's Rs 44,135.20 crore in 2018 (40.92%). Recently, in another trump card, the Gehlot government announced 'Labharthi Samvad', or interactions with government scheme beneficiaries - the coinage of course a straight lift from the BJP government's "labharthi" usage - apart from 'Prashashan Shaheron/Gaon ke Sang (public outreach by the administration)' and 'Mahangai Rahat (inflation relief)' camps. The CM has been on the move visiting each of these across districts, sometimes making multiple visits, for a crucial push before the elections. BJP's Chomu MLA and the party's chief spokesperson, Ramlal Sharma, said the Congress was trying to follow in the BJP's footsteps. "But even when imitating someone, one needs brains, which the Congress lacks. It talks about welfare schemes, but on the ground, these schemes are not implemented. The government is forcing the public to stand in queues to register for schemes, which could easily have been done online," he said. The Congress hit back, asking the BJP didn't introduce such schemes in states ruled by it. "Does any BJP-ruled state have a scheme to make gas cylinders available at Rs 500, or Rs 25 lakh health insurance coverage, or free electricity up to 100 units or Rajiv Gandhi scholarships to send students abroad? The BJP is on the back foot due to the response to our welfare schemes. The CM is only holding interactions with beneficiaries to ensure that the schemes reach their target audience and that nobody is left out," Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said.
