The presence of seven members of Parliament in BJP's first list of 41 names for the November 25 Assembly election in Rajasthan shows the serious intent of the party’s central leadership to capture power in the desert state, but the entry of rebels in 12 of the spots reflects its disconnect with the ground realities. Rebels in the party have put up a stiff resistance forcing party’s top honchos Union home minister Amit Shah and party president J.P. Nadda to call marathon discussions in the state capital this week.
The saffron party’s fortunes in the state appear to have turned 180 degrees in the last one year vis-a-vis its bete noire, the Congress. A year back, the state’s ruling party was riddled with factionalism as Sachin Pilot, was persistent in his differences of opinion with chief minister Ashok Gehlot. The mess created by Mr Gehlot’s refusal to be the ‘official’ candidate in the Congress presidential election and the revolt by the legislators owing allegiance to him had the party almost handing the BJP the chance to govern the state in a year. Curiously, the Congress high command intervened in time and brokered peace so that the party is on course to put up a united fight.
Aided by anti-incumbency factor and the electorate’s scrupulous adherence to the revolving door policy in elections every five years for quite some time, the BJP stood the highest chance of returning to power in Rajasthan compared with the other four that go to polls next month. The BJP central leadership, however, is giving away the opportunity in pursuing its agenda to bring up its crop of leadership and sidelining former chief minister Vasundhara Raje who holds sway within the party ranks and outside.
The BJP leadership is not oblivious of the price it would pay for ignoring regional chieftains — the party had learnt it the hard way in Karnataka. If the party is attempting to keep Raje loyalists out of the election and still win her loyalty, then it will be as easy a task as having the cake and eating it, too.
