BJP state unit president’s name to be announced soon
CONSENSUS Sources said BJP high command was more or less decided on the candidate JAIPUR
:Even as efforts to reach a consensus over a new BJP state unit president continued on Thursday, reports suggested that the party high command is firm on its decision and an announcement is expected anytime.
BJP sources said the party high command was more or less decided on the candidate despite opposition from certain quarters within the ruling party.
Chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who reached Delhi on Wednesday for meeting the party top brass, stayed put there on Thursday, too.
She met BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena and Union home minister Rajnth Singh along with her son and MP Dushyant Singh. Efforts were on to reach a consensus over the name of the state party chief after the RSS nudged leaders to end discord within the party.
As the fluid situation continued, names of probable candidates continued to do the rounds including Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Rajasthan minister Arun Chaturvedi, party MP Bhupendra Yadav and Kirori Meena.
The vexed issue of the BJP state president has dogged the party leadership for two months after Ashok Parnami tendered his resignation on April 16 following the rout of the BJP in all the three bypolls.
While the party high command is in favour of Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh, chief minister Raje has put up objections saying a Rajput face will alienate the politically strong Jat community and the BJP could end up losing the elections.
In a show of support to the CM, some ministers gave statements opposing Singh’s candidature, while others had trekked to Delhi in April to register their protest.
Sources say Raje is apprehensive that Singh might become her competitor. The union minister is considered close to the RSS and is seen as a young and clean face. Though he has not been very active in the state or the organisation, of late he has been touring the state and meeting people.
As the stalemate continued, the party high command made efforts to get Raje on board. Other names were proposed by Raje but the party high command was not in favour of those names.
On Wednesday, another series of meeting were held in Delhi.
Raje, party national president Amit Shah, state in-charge V Satish, organisation general secretary Chandrashekhar, Om Mathur, Bhupendra Yadav and core committee members from Rajasthan such as ministers Rajendra Rathore, Gulab Chand Kataria, Arun Chaturvedi discussed strategy and preparations for the assembly and general elections.
Raje and Shah also held a 40 minute one-on-one meeting which was followed by another meeting in which Chandrashekhar, Yadav and V Satish were present. However, after the stalemate continued, sources said the message was conveyed to Raje that she should focus on the government, not the organisation. Yadav and Mathur were asked to mediate.