The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Rajasthan BJP ticket troubles simmering, Nadda steps in to calm ruffled feathers
Oneof thefireshemighthaveputout involvesrajeloyalistbhawanirajawat
Rohit Jain Paras
TEN DAYS after the BJP released its first list of 41 candidates for the November 25 Rajasthan polls, including seven sitting MPS, discontentissimmeringin various regions of the state.
Disgruntled BJP leaders include senior legislators and exMLAS, known to be loyalists of partyheavyweightandex-chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
In Sanchore for instance, where sitting Jalore-sirohi MP Devji Patel has been fielded, his cavalcade was pelted with stones by angry party workers, resulting in a police case.
Yet to come out with a second list, the BJP leadership has mounted a damage-control exercise, with national president J P Nadda touring various divisions of Rajasthan, addressing party workers and holding marathon meetings.
On Monday, Nadda was in Udaipur and held a meeting where senior leaders, including the party’s Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh, state unit chief C P Joshi and Raje were present.
In a statement issued later, thebjpsaidthatinhisaddressto party workers, Nadda said: “We are known because of the party, and the party not known because of you.”
This was seen as a message from the Rajasthan BJP leadership — long riven by divisions — to close ranks.
On Tuesday, Nadda along withunionhomeministeramit Shah held a meeting in Delhi withallseniorrajasthanleaders, including Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal, C P Joshi, Rajeandunionministerprahlad Joshi, who is the party’s Rajasthan election in-charge.
Thenextday, Naddareturned torajasthanandvisitedthekota and Ajmer divisions. Later, he claimed that the BJP would win all the 17 seats in the Kota division, whichisconsideredtobea stronghold of Raje.
Oneof thefiresnaddamight have put out involves former MLA and Raje loyalist Bhawani Singh Rajawat. A three-time MLA between 2003 and 2018, Rajawatwasdeniedticketinthe 2018 Assembly elections and wasreplacedinhisladpuraconstituency with Kalpana Devi, a member of the erstwhile Kota royalfamily, whowentontowin the election.
However, Rajawat did not rebel or contest as an Independent. In the last five years, as Raje was increasingly sidelined in the party, Rajawat consistently asserted that the former CM was the tallest BJP leader in the state.
Earlier this month, Rajawat saidhehaswrittenalettertothe Bjphighcommand, informingit thatif heisdeniedaticketagain, hewillcontesttheelectionasan Independentandwouldbe free to join any party.
Healsoaccusedkalpanadevi of “ignoring” party workers.
However, after meeting Naddawednesday, Rajawatsoftened his stance, saying he was waiting for the party to decide about his ticket. He however stuck to his charge that the incumbentpartymlahasignored party workers in Ladpura.
“Myassociationwithnaddaji goes back a long time as I was with him in the national executive of the BJYM. It is the desire of party workers that I contest theelection. Vasundharajiisour national vice president and the partyisdoingallafterconsulting her,” Rajawat told The Indian Express on Thursday.
Askedifhewouldstillcontest as an Independent if denied a ticket, Rajawat said he will wait for the party decision, stressing thatheisa“dedicatedworker”.