Vasundhara Raje In BJP's 2nd Rajasthan Candidate List
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its list of 83 candidates for the upcoming state assembly elections in Rajasthan, and among them is Vasundhara Raje, the former Chief Minister of the state. She is set to contest from her traditional stronghold, the Jhalrapatan seat.
Notably, Vasundhara Raje has been embroiled in political discord with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. This strained relationship between the two leaders emerged after Raje voiced opposition to Shekhawat’s appointment as the BJP chief in Rajasthan back in 2018. She believed that his appointment would alienate the Jat community, a significant voter base, from the party in the 2018 elections.
The initial exclusion of Vasundhara Raje from the BJP’s first list of candidates had sparked strong reactions from the opposition. However, in what appears to be an effort to maintain a political balance, several of Raje’s supporters are now included in the BJP’s latest candidate list.
Following a meeting of the BJP’s Central Election Committee, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president JP Nadda, the party has decided to leverage the popularity of Vasundhara Raje, who enjoys support from diverse voter bases in the state.
Vasundhara Raje hails from the Scindia royal family, the former rulers of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. Her family has a significant political legacy, with her mother, Vijayaraje Scindia, being a prominent leader in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) and later in the BJP. Her brother, Madhavrao Scindia, was a notable Congress leader.
In its second candidate list, the BJP has also fielded Narpat Singh Rajvi from Chittorgarh, who was earlier denied a ticket from the Vidhyadhar Nagar seat. Mr. Rajvi is the son-in-law of the party’s stalwart leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. His initial exclusion had led to backlash from a section of party workers, prompting a U-turn by the BJP leadership.
The upcoming state assembly elections will be held in five crucial states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram, between November 7 and 30. The results are scheduled to be declared on December 3, as announced by the Election Commission. All 200 seats in Rajasthan will witness voting on November 25.
In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress secured victory in 100 seats, while the BJP won 73. Ultimately, the Congress formed the government with the support of the Bahujan Samaj Party, which claimed six seats.
