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Rajasthan assembly election: Ticket hopefuls lobby with CM Vasundhara Raje
Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders whose names have not found a place in BJP’s first list of 131 candidates for the assembly elections met chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday.
Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders whose names have not found a place in BJP’s first list of 131 candidates for the assembly elections met chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday as lobbying continued ahead of the second list which is expected soon. The party also sought to play down the impact of ministers and legislators not given a ticket contesting as independent candidates.
Some of those whose names have not been included are still hopeful of their names finding a mention in the next list.
Among those who met the CM were ministers Yunus Khan, Kalicharan Saraf, Surendra Pal Singh TT and Hem Singh Bhadana; MLAs Bhawani Singh Rajawat and Om Prakash Hudla whose names are on hold, and Chandrakanta Meghwal who didn’t get a ticket also met Raje.
Rajawat, who represents Ladpura, and has been in the news for his controversial remarks, some directed at his own government, said after meeting the CM that he is confident of getting a ticket because there is no strong contender from his constituency.
Minister Singh TT, the MLA from Karanpur, was more discreet and said he had come to extend his wishes to the CM. “I have to serve the party and whatever responsibility my party gives me I will serve in that capacity,” he added.
Meghwal, who was refused a ticket from Ramganj Mandi, said she was not upset and would neither resign from the party nor contest as an independent. She too added that she would work in any capacity entrusted to her.
The party hasn’t been as fortunate with others refused tickets. Some have resigned and threatened to contest as independents.
On Tuesday, Priyanka Choudhary, chairperson of the Barmer Urban Improvement Trust, resigned from her post.
Choudhary was upset after the party refused her a ticket from the Barmer assembly seat and instead fielded sitting MP Colonel Sonaram Choudhary. Choudhary said that she had done a lot of work in her tenure and now wanted to concentrate on her family. She denied she is quitting the BJP.
The party insists that there is no rebellion.
BJP state president Madanlal Saini, who welcomed Congress leader from Sangria Gurdeep Shahpini into the BJP on Tuesday, said no one had resigned.
On Monday, PHED minister Surendra Goyal who was refused a ticket from Jaitaran resigned from the party.
He said he would contest as an independent and file his nomination on November 17. Several of his supporters also resigned from the party.
There were also protests at BJP headquarters by supporters of Bhagirath Choudhary, who was refused a ticket from Kishangarh. Supporters of minister Rajkumar Rinwa also protested at the office, in anticipation that he may not be fielded from Ratangarh, for which the party is yet to announce a candidate.
Sitting MLA Habib ur Rehman from Nagaur, who was refused a ticket, also resigned. He is said to be in touch with the Congress, to which he once belonged and MLA and Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party.
BJP state secretary Saroj Prajapat and BJP OBC Morcha Nagaur district president Rajaram Prajapat resigned from the party claiming that the Prajapat community has been overlooked in the list.
In Udaipur, supporters of Nanalal Ahari protested at the party office over him being refused a ticket while in Sagwada supporters of Anita Katara who was dropped also held a protest.
Katara said she would decide her future course of action after meeting her supporters on November 14.
Despite Saini’s brave words, the party scrambled to get into damage-control mode.
Several leaders including Raje, party national vice president Om Mathur, state incharge Avinash Rai Khanna, Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal are reaching out to rebels.
Mathur said the ticket distribution process had been smooth. “We undertook a rigorous exercise since two months to select candidates and took feedback at various levels. Wherever there are some rebels we will talk to them and try to convince them,” he added.
