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Journalism of Courage
As counting trends indicated a clear edge for the BJP over the incumbent Ashok Gehlot-led Congress in Rajasthan, one big question making the rounds in the state political circles is, will Vasundhara Raje, the BJP’s tallest leader in the state, become the Chief Minister again.
Before the election results, the 70 year-old-old two-time CM Raje visited several temples over a few days, including the Mehandipur Balaji temple in Dausa and the Moti Doongari temple in Jaipur.
Significantly, the BJP did not project any CM candidate during its campaign for the Rajasthan elections, with Rane not given the lead role in steering it.
For the past few years, Rane’s supremacy in the Rajasthan BJP has come under stiff challenge, with her several rivals within the party looking to emerge as the party’s face in the state.
Raje, who is currently the BJP national vice president, has however routinely sent out signals that she would remain very much in the game.
Addressed as “madam” by her supporters, Raje had led the BJP to a thumping victory in 2003 – and again in 2013, when contesting the election under her name the BJP bagged 163 seats in the 200-member Assembly, a record that remains unchallenged.
From her loyalist MLAs consistently demanding that she should be the BJP’s face in the Rajasthan polls, to an outfit like Vasundhara Raje Samarthak Manch being floated, Raje’s grip on the state BJP has remained firm so far. In meetings held in the state, the BJP top brass, including party president J P Nadda, usually acknowledge Raje’s stature, highlighting the “achievements” of her previous two governments.
In recent times, Raje has become active, travelling across the state for her religious yatras, where her followers assemble in huge numbers.
Raje is hoping to take over the reins of the desert state for the third time. The challenge she now faces is to get the better of other party aspirants – including state party chief Satish Poonia and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat – in the race for the CM’s chair.
Raje is considered to be among the “moderate” BJP leaders, who got recognition in the party in the era of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and ex-Deputy PM L K Advani.
In her earlier campaigns, Raje used to stick to the development agenda, steering clear of the Hindutva plank. This was seen as one of the reasons for her perceived alienation from the current BJP dispensation of PM Narendra Modi and Unon Home Minister Amit Shah.
However, in recent times, in sync with the party’s hardline positioning, Raje also adopted a markedly pro-Hindutva stand in targeting the Gehlot government, which appeared to be a shift in her stance. She started accusing the Congress dispensation of practising “appeasement politics”.
In the current election, after initially fielding several MPs, the BJP went back to many Raje loyalists by fielding them from several constituencies. Some of her loyalists are also contesting as Independents after being denied a ticket, which would have strengthened her claim for the CM post in the event of a dead heat, which is not the case now.
