Rajasthan polls next year, Vasundhara Raje holds show of strength on birthday

Raje, a two-time Chief Minister who is said to be facing opposition from her own party’s leadership, made her poll intentions apparent as she recalled her previous wins and told the rally: “In 2023, BJP will break all records. Ab hamari paari — 2023 ki baari (now, it is the turn for our innings in 2023)”

Sources said that as many as 43 of the BJP’s 71 MLAs, including Raje, were in attendance at the Bundi event. Nine MPs and 109 former MLAs were also present.

Apart from the incumbent and former lawmakers, thousands of her supporters gathered from all 33 districts of the state. Several programmes were held in Bundi throughout the day to mark the birthday.

Raje recalled how the party had registered “historic” wins in 2003 and in 2013 — the two times she was elected as the CM — saying “the number 3 is auspicious for all of us, for BJP”. In 2003, the BJP had won 120 seats in an Assembly of 200, and 163 seats in 2013.

For almost three decades, BJP and Congress have taken turns to rule the state. Of these, incumbent CM Ashok Gehlot and Raje have been taking turns as the CM since 1998, beginning with Gehlot.

For long, BJP’s central leadership has tried to diminish the party’s dependence on Raje in the state, especially through the appointment of Satish Poonia as state unit chief in September 2019.

Ahead of the Bundi programme, an audio clip, purportedly containing the voice of BJP Bundi MLA Ashok Dogra, was shared widely on social media. In the clip, Dogra is purportedly heard telling a worker that the birthday event was not a party programme and that no one from the party was attending it. Dogra has denied that it is his voice.

The former CM began the day by offering prayers at the Bundi Keshorai Bhagwan temple in Keshoraipatan. She said that during her tenure, “125 temples were developed at a cost of Rs 550 crore, a panorama of 50 Gods, Goddesses and great men were developed with Rs 110 crore, and a mandir marg was developed with Rs 2,500 crore.”

But she also underscored that for a win in 2023, “it is necessary that we don’t get divided on the basis of caste and religion. Rajasthan can progress only if we are one”.

The former CM also attacked Gehlot. “People ask me, what is the difference between me and Gehlot ji? I say that we worry about the people, he worries about votes,” Raje said. Earlier in the day, Gehlot had tweeted birthday greetings to Raje.

She also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda, saying they took forward the legacy of Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. She said that Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia too made “dharma neeti” the basis of her politics. “Today the ghee — in the form of nationalism — which has been poured into the Jan Sangh lamp has lit up the whole country.”

“I am trying to follow in Rajmata’s footsteps,” including the path of “dharma neeti”, Raje said, adding that she has faced ups and downs, “and several speed breakers”, but she has stood “like a rock”.

Back in Jaipur, BJP and Congress traded barbs over the internal friction within the opposing party. Cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said, “With a huge rally and through dev darshan, she is showing her strength to those BJP leaders who are challenging her wajood (existence).”

BJP MLA Ramlal Sharma said: “Congress should address its internal squabbles. The person in whose name all of Rajasthan voted, Sachin Pilot, is being pushed to the margins.”