BJP sets up election panel for Rajasthan, appoints Raje rival as convener

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, whose appointment as state unit president was successfully opposed by Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, is convener of the state election management panel.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership on Thursday appointed Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as the convener of the party’s assembly election management committee for Rajasthan.

Differences between Vasundhara Raje and Amit Shah had delayed appointment of a new BJP state unit president by nearly three months. (Himanshu Vyas/HT Photo)

Rajasthan BJP president Madanlal Saini will head the 16-member panel that will take all the important decisions related to the forthcoming Rajasthan assembly elections. The committee was constituted by BJP chief Amit Shah on Thursday evening.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje is one of the members while union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and state party spokesperson Satish Punia have been made joint conveners.

The choice of Shekhawat, an MP from Jodhpur, assumes significance, as earlier this year, differences between Raje and Shah had delayed the appointment of a new president of the party’s state unit by nearly three months.

Ashok Parnami, who is considered as a Raje loyalist, had resigned as state BJP chief on April 16, as the party made changes in its organisation after losses in the by-elections to two Lok Sabha and one assembly constituencies and ahead of state elections.

While Shah wanted to appoint Shekhawat as the new state party chief, the move hadn’t elicited much support from Raje, who tried to appoint state minister Srichand Kriplani instead, but without any success.

Rajasthan BJP spokesperson Mukesh Parikh said that the party will benefit from the experience of Shekhawat who was a union minister and hails from Jodhpur. “There is nothing unusual about Shekhawat Ji’s appointment as convener, and all our senior leaders including former (state party) president Ashok Parnami are also part of the team,” he said.

Apart from Parnami, two state ministers Yunus Khan and Rajendra Rathore, who are confidants of Raje, have also been included as members. Rajya Sabha member Kirodi Lal Meena, who jointed BJP a few months ago, also finds a place in the committee. Union minister CR Choudhary and state home minister Gulabchand Kataria are also part of the team.

The Rajasthan BJP is currently divided along caste lines, with Raje loyalists opposing Shekhawat — a Rajput — because they believe that giving him any prominent post will alienate the Jats. Two prominent Jat leaders — Devi Singh Bhati and Colonel Sonaram Choudhary (retd) – had openly opposed the move to appoint him as state BJP chief.