BJP President Rajnath Singh with Rajasthan State President Vasundhra Raje release BJP Manifesto at Party office in Jaipur.
As campaigning reaches a crescendo in Rajasthan, ruling Congress and challenger BJP are banking upon two starkly different styles of electioneering to romp home in Assembly elections scheduled for December 1.
The BJP's attempt to dethrone Ashok Gehlot government is being powered largely by the charisma of its chief ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje coupled with Narendra Modi factor while Congress seems to be relying on its various regional satraps who have been tasked with the responsibility of leading the party's charge in their strongholds.
Despite having an incumbent Chief Minister, the ruling party has been rather ambiguous on the leadership issue in the event of it retaining power.
Though the welfare schemes of Gehlot government have featured prominently in the speeches of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, he has also assigned a group of senior state leaders the job of ensuring the victory of party candidates in the regions of their influence, state party sources said today.
Congress leaders reckon that schemes like free medicines and diagnostic tests in government hospitals, laptop and scooty for students are popular but would not be enough to help return the party back to power in a state where social combination is key to electoral success.
To offset the anti-incumbency factor and annoyance of important communities, Jat and Muslims, with Gehlot administration, Congress has projected a collective leadership which is working on the ground, the sources said.
"Six months back, we were in a bad shape. Since then we have bridged the gap. Rahul ji has taken a keen interest in ticket distribution which has taken care of the interest of various communities and party leaders. Our workers are very enthused," a senior party leader said.
CP Joshi, who is said to be close to Rahul and is the chief of party's campaign committee, is playing a lead role in the electioneering while regional biggies like Sis Ram Ola, Sachin Pilot and Jitendra Singh, all of them ministers in UPA government, are canvassing intensively as well.
The return of Ola, an influential Jat leader, to the Union Cabinet was part of Congress' strategy to woo Jats back to its fold while Mr Pilot and Mr Singh wield clout in Ajmer and Alwar regions respectively.
All these leaders have had a say in ticket distribution, sources said.
The buzz among party leaders is that any of the state bigwigs, including Rajasthan Congress president Chandrabhan, who is a Jat, could be a potential Chief Minister if they manage to come back to power.
"It is a decision the high command will take. We are all fighting together," Chandrabhan says.
In a shot in the arm for Congress just days before the elections, Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla on Wednesday announced his support to the party, ending speculation about his joining the BJP.
Whatever may be other concerns for the BJP, leadership is not one of them. Raje has picked party candidates across the state and despite rebels joining the fray at several places, her stature seems unchallenged.
In one public meeting after another, she makes fun of Gehlot government for doing nothing after coming to power in 2008 and then suddenly waking up from its slumber in the last few months.
Touching on the plethora of Congress leaders in the state, she calls it an "army of Kauravas" who will be routed by Pandavas of BJP.
To encash on what BJP believes is Mr Modi's connect with voters, especially youth, she tells people that assembly election is a semi-final before final in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and it is necessary to win now to prepare for the next year elections.