Ahead of Raj visit, Nadda takes feedback on bypolls, factionalism

Even as the Rajasthan BJP faces a factional war, state BJP president Satish Poonia met BJP national president JP Nadda to brief him on the readiness for the bypolls and the bickering in the party.

Poonia met Nadda in Delhi on Saturday and discussed the preparations for the 4 assembly bypolls and the party chief ’s visit to the state on March 2. Sources said Poonia briefed Nadda on how the BJP plans to take on the ruling Congress in the byelections.

Nadda will be on a 1-day visit to Jaipur on March 2 where he will address the state executive meeting and try to motivate the divided state unit to put up a united front to take on the Congress and the impact of the farmers’ agitation, raising concerns in the BJP.

Nadda was apprised of the organisational programmes and issues within the Rajasthan unit, hit by factionalism. The letter controversy has again underlined the rift. The sources said Poonia discussed al these issues with Nadda who sought to know how the divide within the party is being managed.

As many as 20 MLAs, considered close to Raje, have written to Poonia about allotting time to BJP MLAs to speak during the ongoing assembly session. MLAs such as former assembly speaker Kailash Meghwal, MLA Pratap Singh Singhvi, Kalicharan Saraf, Pushpendra Singh, Narendra Nagar and others have complained they were not allotted time to speak by leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria and deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore.