Rebels keep bJp GuessinG in raJastHan as polls near
Party seeks to return to power in the Assembly polls likely to be held in December.
Rebels in Rajasthan BJP have made party leaders anxious. In Rajasthan, the party seeks to return to power in the Assembly elections, likely to be held in December this year. While a few other party leaders have also parted ways, Manvendra Singh, son of former Union minister and party veteran Jaswant Singh, is the latest to leave the party. Singh is the MLA from Sheo constituency in Barmer and has a significant influence among the Rajput community in Jaisalmer and Barmer areas. Singh alleged that the “swabhiman” (self-respect) of the Rajput community was hurt when the BJP did not give ticket to his father during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Sources said he is likely to contest next year’s Lok Sabha elections from Barmer, while he may field his wife Chitra Singh from Sheo Assembly constituency. He has vowed to dislodge the Vasundhara Raje gov- ernment in Rajasthan.
Other leaders who can affect the BJP’s caste equations in Rajasthan include Brahmin MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari, Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal and Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla. They all have expressed resentment against the state leadership. Tiwari, a six-time MLA, has twice been a minister in the BJP government, but has been opposing the party for quite some time. The BJP leader was subse- quently served notice for indiscipline, after which he resigned in June this year and floated his own “Bharat Vahini Party”.
In the last elections, he was elected from Sanganer constituency with the highest margin of over 60,000 votes. Beniwal had won from Khinvsar constituency in 2008 on a BJP ticket. However, he quit the party later following differences. A strong Jat leader from Nagaur, he has considerable hold on the voters in the region. Bainsla, on the other hand, had contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat on a BJP ticket but lost. Following this, he quit BJP. However, he still commands the support of the Gujjar community. BJP brought in Meena strongman Kirori Lal after Bainsla quit the party. Bainsla has not clarified whether he would contest the Assembly elections or not.