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BJP wary of leaders switching sides in Rajasthan ahead of assembly polls
Rebels were held responsible for the setbacks that the party faced in recent polls in K’taka and Himachal Pradesh
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state leadership in Rajasthan is prepared for members driving a hard bargain in the wake of smaller parties becoming more assertive and visible on the ground and newer outfits expected to offer options to ticket seekers in the upcoming assembly polls said party leaders on Wednesday.
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The issue of rebels and ticket distribution, apart from an organisational rejig, was also discussed at a meeting between former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and BL Santhosh, national general secretary (organisation), on Wednesday at the party headquarters, people aware of the details said.
A senior party functionary said the leadership anticipates having to work harder to quell rebellion within the party ranks as aspirants now have more options to choose from.
“Earlier there was just the Congress and the BJP and those who were denied tickets mostly had to contest as independents...now with smaller parties such as the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) and speculation of another party being floated, both the Congress and the BJP will face more rebels than before,” the functionary said on condition of anonymity.
There is speculation that Congress leader, Sachin Pilot could float a new political outfit in the state that goes to the polls at the end of the year, which could compound the BJP’s problems as it not only amplifies the risk of rebels spoiling the show but could also cause a dent in the support from the Gujjar community that is between 9-12% of the electorate and can sway the outcome in over 40 assembly constituencies.
With the BJP’s ally in Haryana, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) also indicating that it would throw its hat in the ring, the party could face an uphill task in wooing the Jat community if the two allies go their separate ways. The ongoing protest by wrestlers has cast a shadow on the BJP’s overtures towards the Jats and the JJP could help the party by bringing in support from the community, which is traditionally considered a Congress vote bank.
The wrestlers from the politically powerful Jat community have levelled accusations of sexual misconduct against BJP lawmaker Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in his capacity as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
Rebels were held responsible for the electoral setbacks that the party faced in recent elections in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, where it failed to retain power.
Although the party claims it has a strong internal mechanism to address concerns and mollify the aggrieved ticket seekers, senior leaders admit that it has now become harder to convince older and more experienced leaders to make room for newer faces. In Karnataka despite the senior leadership’s entreaties to make way for a generational shift that allows newer leaders to emerge, the party faced awkwardness when former chief minister Jagdish Shettar blamed the high command for sidelining senior leaders.
The leadership is said to have discussed the issue of intraparty differences and the consequences it will have on the party’s performance at the two-day meeting held in the national capital and attended by party president JP Nadda, Union home minister, Amit Shah and Santhosh.
While one section of leaders is pushing for Raje’s candidacy as CM, there is a group that believes having Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the face of the election will serve the party better as it would nip the problem of factions and groups working at cross purposes.
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Citing an example of the repercussion of factions within the state unit, the leader quoted above said during the 2021 assembly by-poll in Vallabhnagar, the Congress gained from the BJP leaders being disunited. “The RLP fielded BJP rebel Udailal Dangi who came second, because he managed to retain his vote share (what he had as a BJP candidate), the Congress managed to win after pushing the BJP to the third spot,” the leader said.
