Why BJP dropped Hindutva hardliners Two in Jaipur file nominations
NO TICKET Experts say BJP is battling with ‘contradictions’ but add that local factors, opposing CM Raje too worked against these leaders
In the two lists with names of 162 candidates released so far, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has denied tickets to its 43 sitting legislators, including hardliners such as Gyan Dev Ahuja, Dhan Singh Rawat and Banwari Lal Singhal who have courted controversies in the past with their communal remarks.
Those dropped include four ministers, too — besides Banswara MLA Rawat, the others who didn’t get the ticket are Keshoraipatan MLA Baboo Lal Verma, Ratangarh MLA Rajkumar Rinwa, and Jaitaran MLA Surendra Goyal.
Verma said he has “accepted” the decision and “won’t resign or contest as an independent”.
Political commentator Narayan Bareth said dropping the hardliners from the lists shows the BJP’s “internal contradiction”. “BJP leaders promote and appreciate communal remarks but here tickets to rabble-rousers have been denied. However, that alone is not the reason; local factors, too, have played a role.”
Rawat was booked late last month for exhorting “Hindus to vote for the BJP, whether or not any work is done” since “Muslims vote en masse for the Congress”.
Singhal, Alwar City MLA, had targeted the Muslim community in a social media post, saying “Muslims were giving birth to 12-14 children... (in) a well-planned conspiracy to... take over the country by 2030” and that “existence of Hindus was in danger”.
But Singhal also faced people’s ire for lack of basic amenities such as road, water and electricity in his constituency.
Significantly, during the campaigning for the bypolls, chief minister Vasundhara Raje had maintained a distance from Singhal, not inviting him on days the public meetings were held and not taking him along for rallies.
But Singhal has said he would “follow the party’s directives” on not giving him a ticket. “We are because of the party, the party is not because of us. Whoever gets the party ticket is the party candidates and, as workers. we have to ensure the candidate’s win.”
MLA Rinwa and Garhi legislator Jeetmal Khant were not included in the list likely because they faced corruption charges but mostly due to feedback reports from the party’s surveys, which had put them under “losing candidates”, a leader said.
Ahuja, the MLA representing Ramgarh, had allegedly backed mob lynchers, most prominently in the case of dairy farmer Pehlu Khan who was lynched by cow vigilantes in Alwar in April 2017. He had also controversially remarked that over 3,000 used condoms were found daily at New Delhi’s JNU campus where “students dance naked”.
He had openly come out in support of cow vigilantes and had remarked on more than one occasion that those smuggling or slaughtering cows would be killed. He was also seen as supporting the accused in the killing of Rakbar Khan, who was accused by self-styled vigilantes of smuggling two cows in Alwar’s Lalavandi village last year.
However, what worked more to Ahuja’s disadvantage was his remarks blaming Raje for the BJP’s defeat in the bypolls to two Lok Sabha (Ajmer and Alwar) and one assembly (Mandalgarh) seats in August this year.
When contacted, Ahuja declined to comment on denial of ticket. “I would comment only after meeting the office bearers of the RSS (the BJP’s ideological mentor),” Ahjua told PTI on Thursday. He said he has not met the CM so far on this issue.
Rajan Mahan, head, department of mass communication, University of Rajasthan, said, “Those MLAs who openly opposed Raje could not be accommodated and have been dropped. Also, those who made provocative statements which could have driven away the fence sitters that came to the BJP in the 2013 elections on the issue of development have also been kept out.”
The BJP has also not given ticket to any Muslim candidate so far. It is being keenly watched what would be the fate of Raje’s close aide Yunus Khan, the public works department minister who represents the Didwana constituency. The BJP has not announced any candidate from this seat yet.
The state goes to polls on December 7 and the results will be declared on December 11.
Two BJP candidates filed nominations in Jaipur on Friday for the assembly elections. In an apparent show of strength, the two leaders reached the venue of filing nominations at the Collectoroate, along with thousands of supporters.
Satish Poonia, the party’s candidate from Amber constituency, filed his nomination in two phases. Fifteen minutes past noon, he along with his wife Mohini, son Maheep and daughter Anushka reached the returning officer’s room at the Collectorate and filed two sets of nomination papers at “auspicious time” of 12:17am.
Three minutes later, Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra entered the room and wished Poonia. From there, Poonia and his family members, along with Bohra, left for a party meeting scheduled in Bani Park area of the city at 1pm. “I will file my remaining set of nomination papers around 2pm when I will be accompanied by union minister and MP from Jaipur rural, Rajyavardhan Rathore,” said Poonia.
Earlier, Poonia left his house in Shyam Nagar around 7am and visited Moti Dungri temple at JLN Marg, Shila Mata temple at Amber and Govind Devji temple and offered prayers.
Around 1.30pm, Union minister Rathore joined Poonia and other party workers in Bani Park. From there, accompanied by Rathore and Bohra, Poonia left in an open vehicle, followed by a huge procession, for the Collector’s office again and filed the second set of nomination papers.
Baba Sairam, 26, dressed like Mahatma Gandhi, was the centre of attraction during the procession. Sairam, who has walked almost 200 km across the country to spread the message of Swacch Bharat, said, “I have marched barefooted from Amber to collector’s office to support Poonia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Another BJP candidate and sitting MLA from Hawamahal constituency, Surendra Pareek reached the returning officer’s office around 12pm. Pareek was accompanied by MP Bohra, mayor Asok Lahoti . As the supporters tried to enter the collector’s office, police stopped them and locked the gates. At 12.15pm, Pareek filed his nomination.
Jaipur district Congress committee vice-president Goma Sagar filed nomination papers from the Bagru assembly seat as an independent candidate. “I am disheartened with the decision of the party to give ticket to a nonqualified candidate. That’s why I am filing nominations,” said Sagar. Congress has given ticket to Ganga Devi from Bagru.
A daily-wage labourer, Meena Devi, also files nomination from the Adarsh Nagar constituency. “I live in Tila number 1 of Jawahar Nagar. For past 30 years, no one has done anything for my area. Exercising my fundamental right, I have filed the nomination. I don’t know whether I will lose of win, but whenever I will see myself in mirror, I will feel that I tried to do something for the people of my area,” said Devi.
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