Assembly Elections 2018: Wooing ends as Rajasthan, Telangana head to booths

With the closing of the last day of campaigns in Rajasthan and Telangana, parties brought down the curtains on an intense round of politicking with hundreds of rallies to woo voters in the poll-bound states.

While the Congress clutched at the Rafale scam, with party president Rahul Gandhi amplifying it to hit out at the Modi government, it later moved on to regional issues in different states.

In Telangana, Congress leaders spoke about the scams of the incumbent TRS government; in Madhya Pradesh, they treaded softly on the Hindutva path. An important poll offer was the promise to waive off farmer loans.

BJP's narrative largely pitted the "naamdaar" (Gandhi) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a man who has risen through the ranks. Time and again, the party drove straight into the tried-and-tested Hindutva narrative.

At a press conference in Rajasthan, BJP president Amit Shah said that the party has held 222 rallies in all, with the PM present at over 10 each in MP and Rajasthan. He attended five each in Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Starting from October 7, when the poll dates were announced, the Congress president addressed 19 rallies in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, 25 in Madhya Pradesh and 17 in Telangana. In Mizoram, he held two rallies. Gandhi also held a road show in Chhattisgarh, two in Rajasthan, and four in MP.

Rally Tally

• BJP chief Amit Shah said the party held 222 rallies, with the PM attending 10 each in MP and Rajasthan
• Congress president Rahul Gandhi says he attended 63 rallies and seven road shows  since October 7