BJP looks to reclaim Bhairon Singh’s legacy in Rajasthan
JAIPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to cash in on the legacy of former vice-president of India, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, a three-term chief minister of Rajasthan, as the western state will go to crucial assembly elections later this year, which coincides with the birth centenary of the party stalwart.
Besides extensive campaigning by senior national and state leaders, the BJP is also planning to celebrate Shekhawat’s birth centenary by holding a series of programmes to connect with voters and party cadre.
The BJP has formed a committee to finalise the modalities of the year-long programmes,
which will kick-start on Shekhawat’s 13th death anniversary on May 15 at his village Khachariyawas in Sikar district.
Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, along with BJP lawmakers, legislators and senior leaders from the state will attend the memorial meeting in Khachariyawas, said Abhimanyu Rajvi, Shekhawat’s grandson. “He may have passed away 13 years back, but his connect with the people is still there,” he said. Rajvi, who along with other BJP leaders has been travelling across Sikar district to invite people and former party functionaries to the event, said they expect a crowd of around 25,000.
Affectionately called ‘Babosa’ (head of the family), Shekhawat was a three-term Rajasthan chief minister from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992 and 1993 to 1998. In his political career spanning over half a century, Shekhwat made a name for himself as an astute politician with friends across the political spectrum. It was evident from the fact that despite not having the majority in the assembly, he managed to forge alliances with other parties and independent legislators during his three stints as the CM.