BJP to rejig Rajasthan unit ahead of Assembly polls

New Delhi: With factionalism continuing to rear its head in Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajasthan unit, the central leadership of the saffron party has decided to effect major changes in the state’s organisational structure ahead of the crucial Assembly polls scheduled for later this year.

It is learnt that the central leadership of the BJP is unhappy with the factions operating in the state unit and has decided to ensure discipline and decorum is restored to ensure victory in the 2023 Legislative Assembly polls. The changes are likely to be made after the National Executive meeting scheduled to be held in the national capital on January 16-17, sources stated.

Sources stated that three factions have been operating in the state unit backed by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and party’s state president Satish Poonia. All three leaders are understood to be backing their cases for projection as the chief ministerial candidate of the party ahead of the Assembly polls.  

BJP to rejig Rajasthan unit

The state unit is expected to be majorly overhauled with the appointment of a new president likely. Other office bearers, general secretaries and vice presidents may also be nominated to accommodate various castes and regions of the state, sources stated.

The decisions on new appointments, the party’s strategy, finalising of candidates, the political campaign and the public outreach process for the Legislative Assembly polls are also expected to be given a final shape at the BJP’s National Executive next week, sources added.

After the crucial meeting, BJP’s state leaders are expected to be asked to present a united front against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government as the party hopes to bring the state back to the saffron fold.

The factions will also be told that the BJP will fight under the leadership and face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and none of their leaders is expected to be projected as chief ministerial candidates ahead of the Assembly polls, sources added.  

The central leadership of the saffron unit has over the past few months tried unsuccessfully to subdue the growing factionalism in the state unit.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is understood to have held detailed discussions with state leadership regarding the Assembly polls. And a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda, the party’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Arun Singh is likely to take place soon to finalize the saffron unit’s stand in the desert state.  

The BJP wants to ensure that its political strategy and moves are in place in time to ensure its victory as it will be very important for the party.

The saffron party feels that it can regain the border state as the Congress too is battling factionalism between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. Rajasthan is the only big state that is governed by Congress.

The BJP is hoping to avoid a repeat of Himachal Pradesh where rebels ensured the formation of the Congress government and hopes to bring all the factions together and avoid the Himalayan state-like fate for the saffron party.  

Party sources stated that the Gehlot government, which is already on the back foot over the deteriorating law and order situation and its alleged minority appeasement stance, could be defeated if the BJP is rein in factionalism within its ranks.

In the 2018 polls, Congress was able to scrape through by securing 100 seats in the 200-member Assembly. While the BJP came second at 75 seats.

Interestingly, after losing the state polls in 2018, the very next year the BJP-RLP alliance secured all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan in 2019. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek a third term in the 2024 general elections, the BJP wants to ensure it is able to retain the maximum possible Lok Sabha seats in the state and ensure a saffron wave.