From Jat ‘dominance’ to Rajput ‘pride’: Rajasthan’s caste matrix

While former CM Vasundhara Raje is credited with attracting Jats to the BJP, her sidelining in the party means many who had left the Congress are now returning.

This time, the Congress is again relying on the Jat anger against the BJP on issues ranging from the denial of CM or deputy CM posts to the non-inclusion of Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur in the Central OBC list.

Some seats – Churu, Jhunjhunu and Nagaur – are witnessing a direct Jat versus Jat contest with advantage Congress.

However, despite their influence, no leader of the community has ever been the CM in the state.

Rajputs

Seen as intrinsic to the idea of Rajasthani pride, the community has traditionally supported the BJP. In her addresses, Raje would often point out that she is “Rajput ki beti (daughter of a Rajput)” before adding “Jat ki bahu (daughter-in-law of a Jat), Gujjar ki samdhan (mother-in-law of a Gujjar)”.

The political strength of Rajputs was on full display when the community was angry with then CM Raje ahead of the 2018 polls on several issues. The Rajput Sabha – the apex body of the community – had launched a campaign against the BJP, which eventually lost the election.

Currently, the BJP has Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat and Deputy CM Diya Kumari of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family among its Rajput leaders.

Rajputs and Jats are also known to be traditional caste rivals. Come 2024, there is a vertical divide between the communities in Churu and Barmer.

Gujjars

In the last couple of decades, Gujjars have increasingly asserted themselves in Rajasthan, thanks to the rise of Kirori Singh Bainsla and Sachin Pilot.

The BJP, on the other hand, had an uncomfortable equation with the community for a decade-and-a-half, particularly during the Gujjar reservation agitation in 2007-08 under the Raje regime.

They were finally given reservation in 2019 by the Ashok Gehlot government.

With Pilot being sidelined in the Congress since 2020, the BJP, made several overtures to the community, which seem to have paid off. While Congress has just three Gujjar MLAs, the BJP currently has five – up from 0 in 2018.

Meenas

Meenas are the most dominant tribal community in the state, having influence in dozens of seats across the state beyond the 25 reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs). Along with Gujjars, the Meenas influence swathes of eastern Rajasthan.

Apart from their presence in pockets of the state, Meenas are also present in good numbers in the state bureaucracy. Currently, the tallest Meena in the state is BJP Cabinet minister Kirodi Lal Meena.

Brahmins

While Brahmins may not be as numerically strong as other communities, they wield considerable clout as they are seen as a unifying force for other castes, especially upper castes. The state has so far had five Brahmin CMs, including current CM Bhajan Lal Sharma. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Sharma’s elevation as the CM in December was explained by some in the BJP as him being a “unifying candidate”.