BJP announces two Rajasthan poll panels, Vasundhara Raje missing from both

JAIPUR: In a surprising move, the BJP high command has dealt a significant blow to former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia. She has been kept out of two crucial committees for the Rajasthan elections. On Thursday, Rajasthan BJP State President CP Joshi announced the manifesto committee and the election management committee for the upcoming Rajasthan assembly polls but conspicuously absent from the list were the names of former CM Vasundhara Raje and any of her prominent supporters. This omission has ignited renewed speculations that the BJP high command has firmly decided to enter the upcoming assembly elections without Raje’s involvement.

For Vasundhara Raje and her loyalists who had held several shows of strength for the last two years and have been demanding that Raje be declared as CM face for the upcoming elections, this is a major setback. While union minister Arjun Meghwal. has been appointed as the Chairman of the Manifesto Committee, Narayan Pancharia will head the Election Management Committee. Elections in Rajasthan are now four months away and all eyes are now focused on whether BJP will rehabilitate Raje in some other position but for the moment it’s a big jolt for Raje and her loyalists.

In the manifesto committee, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has been appointed as the Convenor of the Sankalp Patra Committee. Joining him are MPs Ghanshyam Tiwari, Kirorilal Meena, National Ministers Alka Gurjar, Prabhulal Saini, and Rakhi Rathod, who have been designated as co-convenors. Meanwhile, Narayan Panchariya has been assigned the role of chairman of the Election Management Committee. Co-convenors for this committee include Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, CM Meena, Kanhaiyalal Bairwa, Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Anand Sharma.

In response to inquiries about Vasundhara Raje’s role in the election, the state president affirmed that there are numerous senior leaders within the party who will actively campaign.

State party in-charge Arun Singh avoided the question asked about Raje’s role, saying that ‘ she is a senior party leader and all senior leaders will campaign for the party’. Party’s state president CP Joshi and state in-charge Arun Singh announced that these committees have been announced as per the instructions of national president J P Nadda and hoped that the state will get the benefit of the experience of both the committees in the upcoming elections.

It’s noteworthy that the BJP high command recently entrusted Vasundhara Raje with the responsibility of National Vice President. Coming in an election year, it was seen as a signal that the high command intended to keep Raje away from Rajasthan. In a subsequent development, Raje undertook a two-day visit to Delhi, where she engaged in discussions with several key leaders.

The strained relationship between Raje and the party’s high command dates back to 2014. During the tenure of Home Minister Amit Shah as the national president of the BJP and Raje as the chief minister, the two leaders often found themselves at odds. Following the BJP’s defeat in Rajasthan in 2018, Raje has been noticeably absent from crucial party events. The high command’s intentions became clear when Rajendra Rathore was appointed the Leader of the Opposition when Gulab Chand Kataria assumed the governorship of Assam, despite Raje.