Must be BJP’s policy to not give ticket to Muslims, says Rajasthan MLA after quitting party

The name of Yoonus Khan, a close aide of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, has also been held back as the candidate for his current Assembly constituency of Didwana in Nagaur district. His name wasn’t part of the first list.

“I resigned from the BJP yesterday. Now, this must be the policy of the party to not give tickets to Muslim candidates…What can we say about it? I didn’t do anything wrong to not get a ticket… I will decide my further course of action after a meeting with workers today,” Rahaman told The Indian Express on Tuesday.

A five-time MLA, Rahaman had switched to BJP from Congress before the 2008 Assembly election and had won despite the party losing power in the state. He had subsequently retained his seat and won from the Nagaur constituency on a BJP ticket once again in 2013.

Even though Rahaman remained tight-lipped on his future plans, sources say that he may contest the elections either from Congress or from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party floated by independent MLA Hanuman Beniwal.

Earlier on Monday, Goyal, the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) minister in the Rajasthan cabinet had resigned from his post and the party after he was replaced in his constituency Jaitaran in Pali district with Avinash Gehlot.