Former Chief Minister continues to be a strong leader of the party in the state.
New Delhi: Though the BJP in Rajasthan is trying to sideline former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, it won’t be easy for the party to do so. It is said that she is being ignored in the byelections to be held in three seats of Rajasthan.
But Raje continues to be the central figure of the party in the state. The Congress is certainly going to reap political benefit out of what is going on in the BJP, as the ruling party is fully united for the byelections under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Sachin Pilot, who had once turned rebel, and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra are sparing no effort to ensure the party’s victory in all these three seats where bypolls have to take place.
The BJP is, however, divided into two groups. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is seen leading the state BJP, and efforts are said to be underway to isolate Raje. Vasundhara Raje does not figure in any of the party posters being used in these seats. However, she continues to be silent.
Observers believe that it won’t be easy for the state leaders to isolate her in the BJP, as she is said to be the only leader who is aware of every single corner of the state.
This kind of internal politics is not new to Vasundhara Raje. There have been efforts to sideline her in the BJP since 2018. But now the message is that the state BJP will have a new leadership. But Vasundhara is not willing to leave Rajasthan. What is also undeniable is that the high command in Delhi is quite strong and if the party wins Bengal, the leadership will emerge much stronger. Then it will be easier for the BJP to win elections in Uttar Pradesh. If things go like this, then the politics of Rajasthan will become quite interesting in the changed political scenario in the country.
Analysts feel that the high command cannot at the same time ignore the contribution of Vasundhara’s mother late Vijaya Raje Scindia, who had played an unforgettable role in paving the way for the BJP’s rise to top. With this in view, it will not be easy to ignore and isolate Vasundhara, who is the only leader from the Scindia family who ensured BJP’s victory twice in Rajasthan. Her nephew Jyotiraditya Scindia is in BJP for one year now, and he has not been given any big responsibility as of today.
There are ample indications that the confrontation in the BJP will assume a much bigger proportion in future. Of the three seats going to bypolls, Rajsamand was with BJP, while Sahada and Sujangarh were with Congress. The ruling party Congress is trying to bag all the three seats. Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore claims that the party is winning all the three seats easily due to the excellent work done by the Gehlot government.