Jaipur: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command has dealt a significant blow to former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia by excluding her from two crucial committees for the upcoming Rajasthan elections. The announcement was made by Rajasthan BJP State President CP Joshi on Thursday. The committees in question are the manifesto committee and the election management committee for the upcoming Rajasthan assembly polls.
Notably absent from the list were the names of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and any of her prominent supporters, fueling renewed speculations that the BJP high command has deliberately chosen to proceed with the upcoming assembly elections without Raje’s involvement.
This exclusion comes as a major setback for Vasundhara Raje and her loyalists, who had been actively demonstrating their support for the last two years and demanding her declaration as the Chief Ministerial face for the upcoming elections.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has been appointed as the Chairman of the Manifesto Committee, while Narayan Pancharia will lead the Election Management Committee. The Rajasthan elections are just four months away, and attention now turns to whether the BJP will find an alternative role for Raje. Nonetheless, this move is a significant jolt for Raje and her dedicated followers.
The Manifesto Committee, chaired by Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, includes MPs Ghanshyam Tiwari and Kirorilal Meena, along with National Ministers Alka Gurjar, Prabhulal Saini, and Rakhi Rathod as co-convenors. Meanwhile, the Election Management Committee is led by Narayan Panchariya, with co-convenors like Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, CM Meena, Kanhaiyalal Bairwa, Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Anand Sharma.
In response to inquiries about Vasundhara Raje’s role, the state president emphasized the active participation of numerous senior leaders in the party’s campaign. State party in-charge Arun Singh avoided clarifying Raje’s role but acknowledged that all senior leaders would be involved in campaigning.
Party’s state president CP Joshi and state in-charge Arun Singh stated that these committee appointments were made following the instructions of national president J P Nadda. They expressed hope that the state would benefit from the experience of both committees in the upcoming elections.
The move to exclude Vasundhara Raje from these key committees comes after she was recently assigned the role of National Vice President within the party. This decision, occurring in an election year, was interpreted as a signal that the high command aimed to keep Raje away from Rajasthan. In response, Raje engaged in discussions with key leaders during a two-day visit to Delhi.
The strained relationship between Raje and the party’s high command traces back to 2014. During the tenure of Home Minister Amit Shah as the national president of the BJP and Raje as the chief minister, conflicts between the two leaders were common. Following the BJP’s defeat in Rajasthan in 2018, Raje’s absence from crucial party events became noticeable. The high command’s intentions became evident when Rajendra Rathore was appointed the Leader of the Opposition in place of Raje.
This development marks the first time in decades that the BJP refrained from announcing its chief ministerial candidate in Rajasthan. Vasundhara Raje’s strong association with the BJP in the state and her significant support base among MLAs and MPs have raised concerns that sidelining her might lead to backlash from both Raje and her supporters. This raises the crucial question of whether Prime Minister Modi alone can bolster the BJP’s influence in Rajasthan, especially in light of Chief Minister Gehlot’s efforts to solidify his position through populist initiatives.
Meanwhile, Raje’s loyalists note that while her exclusion is surprising, other senior leaders like Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, opposition leader Rajendra Rathore, former BJP chief, and current party President C P Joshi have also been left out. One of Raje’s supporters pointed out, “Nobody can ignore Vasundhara Raje; after all, she is the most popular mass leader of the BJP in Rajasthan, so wait and watch.”
The announcement of the campaign committee is still pending, serving as the third major committee after the resolution declaration and the election management committee. Traditionally, the coordinator or chairman of the campaign committee becomes the official face of the party for the election. Experts caution against premature speculation without the announcement of this committee.
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