Rajasthan is all set to witness an epic showdown between rivals Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party as the state heads to elections later this year. However, three months away ahead of the royal rummble, a bigger battle is brewing in this desert state for the BJP. Ironically, it has nothing to do with the Congress or incumbent Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
An intense turf war within the BJP that has gripped the leadership both at the Centre and state and has forced the party to change its 2023 election roadmap. The big puzzle – Vasundhara Raje. The two-time Rajasthan Chief Minister has been missing from key state BJP panels as well as field events. She was not part of either Pradesh Sankalp Patra Committee or poll management committee.
Now, latest reports say that Raje is likely to miss out BJP’s ‘Parivartan Yatra’ scheduled next month as she has not been designated as the incharge of the programme. While Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari will take part in the September 2 event, Raje has been firmly sidelined.
Sources say that the BJP’s central leadership has communicated to the state cadre that the party will enter the elections without a chief ministerial face. The decision will be taken only after the results of Rajasthan Assembly Elections are announced.
While the five-time MP has been marginalised on her home turf, the situation is starkly different from the Congress camp. For, Vasundhara Raje is no Sachin Pilot. Despite being sidelined, Raje is not looking at a rebellion. Sulking, Raje may have distanced herself from the election frenzy but has never gone against BJP’s central leadership. In fact, BJP watchers point out her cordial ties with PM Narendra Modi.
BJP also understands that while it may not want Raje as its CM face, it is left with little options at the moment. The puzzle that has riddled BJP is this – if not Raje, who? The September 2 event may be another chance for the BJP to test the waters and look beyond Raje. During the Parivartan Yatra, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will have a bigger role to play. Apart from Shekhawat, names of Arjun Meghwal and Satish Poonia are also doing the rounds.
Political watchers, however, caution that none of these leaders matches the stature of the former Chief Minister. Raje has a firm hold over the party cadre. Having been part of active politics for the past three decades, she has played a pivotal role in building the state machinery for BJP. Raje’s appeal goes beyond the caste factor. From Jats to Rajputs to women voters, Raje has proven time and again that she is the ultimate winner when it comes to Rajasthan.
Big question remains – Can BJP leadership find someone who matches Raje’s stature and keep the party cadre intact? Remember, no party has been voted back to power in Rajasthan in three decades which makes BJP the natural choice for voters. The elections in Rajasthan scheduled to be held just months before the Lok Sabha polls in April, the state is as crucial as it gets for the ruling party at the Centre.
For now, the decision to enter the Rajasthan elections without a CM face offers two crucial pointers. One, all the talk of the discomfort between the BJP’s top leadership and Raje over the years is true. This is why the BJP has decided not to name her as the CM face despite a clear lack of options. Second, the party has failed to find Raje’s replacement – a consensus leader who can command the same support across gender and caste lines as Raje and also galvanise its cadre to ensure that it can hit the ground running.