A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party announced its first list of 41 candidates for the November 23 assembly polls, there has been murmurs of discontent from those who have been denied tickets, according to people aware of the development.
The BJP in its list announced on Monday fielded 31 new faces. It has also selected seven MPs for the assembly polls. Many leaders considered close to former chief minister Vasundhara Raje did not find their names in the list and are reportedly upset, according to party leaders.
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On Monday night, Pralhad Joshi, the party’s election in-charge in the state, arrived in Jaipur to take stock of the situation. “We will talk to the leaders and convince them. It is an internal matter of the party,” Joshi told reporters on Tuesday.
The Congress has failed to provide law and order and crimes against women have increased, Joshi alleged. The people of Rajasthan have made up their mind and will vote out the Congress government, said Joshi, who is a minister in the Narendra Modi government.
Supporters of Rajpal Shekhawat, whose ticket from Jhotwara has been cut, gathered on Monday night at his residence in and shouted slogans in his support. His supporters also marched to the BJP office in Jaipur.
{{/usCountry}}Supporters of Rajpal Shekhawat, whose ticket from Jhotwara has been cut, gathered on Monday night at his residence in and shouted slogans in his support. His supporters also marched to the BJP office in Jaipur.
{{/usCountry}}The decision to deny him a ticket was shocking, Shekhawat said. He had nurtured Jhotwara constituency for the past 15 years and won the seat two times, he added. The BJP has fielded Jaipur Rural MP Rajyavardhan Rathore from Jhotwara.
Anita Singh, who was denied a ticket from Nagar constituency, said she was upset by the party’s decision. She was a strong contender, but the party had given the ticket to a candidate who lost the election by a huge margin in 2018, Singh said. She would meet with her supporters and decide on her next course of action, she added.
The party has fielded Jawahar Singh Bedham from the Nagar seat. Bedham is a former MLA and minister.
On Monday night and Tuesday, BJP leaders Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Anita Nagar and other leaders met with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, according to people aware of the developments.
Raje is upset with tickets of her supporters being cut but is toeing the party line for now,the people said. She has not said anything publicly, but congratulated the candidates on Monday in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Sitting MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi, who has been denied a party ticket from Vidyadhar Nagar constituency, is also upset, a leader close to him said on condition of anonymity. The party did not discuss the Jaipur seats with anyone and all are surprised, the leader said. Rajvi would not rebel and contest, or join the Congress, he added.
Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said while dissent was an internal matter of the BJP, the party fielding MPs shows it does not have strong candidates on many seats.