Raje turns up at BJP meeting after long hiatus

The Rajasthan BJP held a crucial core group meeting in Jaipur on Tuesday which was attended by former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. The meeting is being seen as an attempt at a patch-up between Raje and state BJP president Satish Poonia. Raje’s attendance at the meeting in Jaipur after a long hiatus of 6 months led to much speculation as she had skipped the first core group meeting on Jan 24 due to personal reasons. It was the first time Raje has attended a meeting which was presided over by Poonia who became state president in September 2019.

Rajasthan incharge Arun Singh was also present at the meeting where the party’s strategy for the upcoming four assembly by-polls and the need to put up a united front for the upcoming bypolls was discussed.

Raje who has attended barely a handful of meeting in the BJP office in Jaipur in the last two years, arrived over an hour late for Tuesday’s meeting. Raje came from Delhi to Jaipur by road and turned it into a show of strength as she was stopped at several places en route and felicitated by party workers. Raje returned to Jaipur from Delhi after several weeks. In Delhi she met several senior party leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah. At the BJP’s National Office Bearers' meeting on February 21, Raje met PM Modi.