BJP may go in for MP repeat in Rajasthan battle, send in central leaders

According to sources, the leaders who might be put into the Assembly poll ring include Union ministers Gajendra Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal, as well as Lok Sabha MPs like Rajyavardhan Rathore and Diya Kumari.

The BJP leadership is expected to finalise candidates for Rajasthan in the coming days. Unlike in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the party has not put out any names for Rajasthan, where it is facing a tough challenge from the Congress, and has a strong contender in Vasundhara Raje as well as a badly divided state unit.

Sources said the BJP’s screening committee for the state is putting the final touches to the first list, which the party wants to declare soon – after it is finalised at a meeting of the Central Election Committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moreover, Home minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah is expected to reach Jaipur late Wednesday evening and is likely to hold discussions with core party leaders of the state unit.

On Monday, the BJP released its second list of 39 names for Madhya Pradesh, which included three Union ministers, four MPs and a national general secretary. The party that lost power by a narrow margin in 2018 in the state, clawed back into government in 2021 after defections, and is apprehensive about Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s fading allure as CM after nearly 20 years in the post.

In Rajasthan, should a battery of leaders from the centre be fielded, it will be another message to Raje that she is not likely to be named the CM face. A section in the party has been pushing for the same, given Raje’s position as arguably the most popular BJP leader in the state.

Reacting to the possibility of senior leaders entering the Assembly race, sources close to Raje argued that it was too late for the party to “create a fresh narrative” and that Rajasthan has a different voter sentiment. “The electorate in the state has a strong recall value for leaders, while the fence-sitters also look for strong faces,” a source said.

Of the names of central leaders under consideration, the sources added, both Rathore and Diya Kumari were brought into politics by Raje herself and hence would find it difficult to win elections without her support. The former CM had also pitched in to help Shekhawat win from the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat, against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav in 2019.

Pointing out that the BJP has lost eight of the nine by-elections held since 2019 to the Congress, a source said: “One must remember that Rajasthan is different and voters hisaab maangte hain (seek accountability)… We need to have leaders who deliver.”

The chances of a BJP recalibration are also high amidst reports that its recent Jan Aakrosh Yatra rallies have drawn thin crowds. A senior BJP leader, familiar with the developments in the state, however, dismissed this, asserting that ticket distribution would “seal the BJP’s win” in Rajasthan.

These leaders also contest that the “alleged dominance of Raje” in state politics is waning. “The cadre as well as party leaders have not taken her continuous absence from party functions lightly,” a leader said. Others point to the impression regarding “her proximity with Congress leaders, including Gehlot”.

Recently, a photo of Raje and Gehlot sitting together and smiling went viral. Raje’s office had to issue a clarification that the picture was taken after the inauguration of the Constitution Club of Rajasthan in Jaipur earlier this month.

Again, like in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress seems to be ahead of the BJP in getting its house in order. With the national leadership bringing the rebellious Sachin Pilot in line, a confident Gehlot has been going about launching and repackaging his popular welfare schemes.