The BJP in Rajasthan is in a damage control mode after dissent erupted within the party over the candidate list for the upcoming Assembly elections. A day after the party released its candidate list, over seven leaders or their supporters have openly come out against the leadership for denying them seats.
Senior party leader and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said a team has been formed for damage control and the issues will be addressed soon. "The team is being headed by MoS Kailash Choudhary. I too have spoken with 8-10 people. We hold reviews every day, Meghwal told reporters.
He denied there were any infightings in the party. " We will do whatever damage control is required. All of them are workers of the BJP. When they were demanding tickets, they were competing against each other. Now, that tickets have been allotted, everyone will work to make the candidates – who received the tickets – win," he added.
Meghwal's response comes as the BJP's state headquarters witnessed protests on Tuesday. Some incidents were reported from constituencies too. The protests were aimed at the BJP fielding Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, a Lok Sabha MP from Jaipur Rural, in the Jhotwara Assembly constituency. The move was opposed by Jhotwara sitting MLA and BJP leader Rajpal Singh Shekhawat.
Shekhawat's supporters raised slogans demanding the removal of the "parachute" candidate to save the constituency. A video of the protest is doing rounds on social media. "In the list of 41 candidates, 10 are rebels," Shekhawat told reporters after meeting Raje.
However, Meghwal supported the fielding of Union Ministers, calling it a strategy. "Every party has its strategy. We are working as per our strategy. You saw this in Madhya Pradesh too. I think this is a good move,” he further added.
Seats denied
Besides Shekhawat, other leaders who voiced their protest at being denied a ticket include senior leader Mukesh Goyal, who fought unsuccessfully from the Kotputli assembly seat in the 2018 elections. The saffron party fielded Hansraj Patel from the seat, following which Goyal's supporters burned party flags to mark their protest.
Two-time MLA from the Nagar assembly constituency of Bharatpur, Anita Singh was sidelined in favour of Jawahar Singh Bedham. "Security deposit of the person who has got the ticket will be forfeited," Singh said in a social media post while vowing to contest polls from the seat.
Those who openly protested against the leadership for denying them tickets include former minister Rohitash Sharma (replaced by Devi Singh Shekhawat in Bansur), Vikas Choudhary (replaced by Ajmer MP Bhagirath Choudhary in Kishangarh), Rajendra Gurjar (replaced by Vijay Baisnla in Deoli-Uniara (Tonk), Maman Singh Yadav (replaced by Baba Balak Nath in Tijara).
However, sitting MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi has yet not reacted after being denied a ticket from the Vidhyadhar Nagar assembly seat. The party has replaced him with an erstwhile royal family member and Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari in the seat.
Polling for all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan will take place on November 23 and votes will be counted on December 3.