The BJP, which was allegedly digging a pit for the Ashok Gehlot government, seems to be slowly slipping into it. The crisis in the BJP has begun with the announcement of the state executive of the party.
In the newly announced executive, BJP heavyweight Vasundhara Raje seems to have been sidelined. What is being seen as bad augury for the BJP is Raje’s deafening silence. Raje’s differences with the high command are also obvious. She has been on the collision course with party bigwigs ever since she emerged a big power centre in the state BJP. These biggies included Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Jaswant Singh, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi to Raguvir Kaushal. Her relations with the top leadership were also not smooth on many occasions.
Vasundhara Raje treaded on her own path in the political terrain of the desert state. And, she continues to be so.
The former CM commands popularity in the state, as Ashok Gehlot does. Both have tremendous hold over every nook and corner of the state. Gehlot’s image is that of a worker. Raje belongs to the royal family, but she connects with the grassroots and wins their support.
Raje has the quality of connecting with the rural population. That’s why no BJP high command could ever sideline her. Amit Shah couldn’t appoint Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as BJP Rajasthan chief just because of a veto from Raje in 2017. The choice of Vasundhara Raje got the job. When the BJP got defeated, new experiments in terms of organisation were sought to be made.
Shekhawat was elevated to the level of Cabinet minister at the Centre. Satish Pubia was given state charge. The BJP high command implemented its decisions. Vasundhara’s adversaries like Hanuman Beniwal, Kirori Lal Meena and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were promoted. BJP president Satish Puniya also joined this group. It’s said that Amit Shah had allegedly assured this group that the Gehlot government would be toppled. The high command actually wanted to hit two birds with one stone. First, dislodging the Gehlot government, and second, anointing Shekhawat as his successor which would automatically end Raje’s era in Rajasthan. But CM Ashok Gehlot turned the tables on the BJP. And Shekhawat found himself accused of corruption charges.
Sources say that now the BJP is preparing to promote MP Diya Kumari. The new team of the BJP bears testimony to that. Diya Kumari is also from the royal family and what also goes in her favour is that she is young. Sources believe that the high command has plans to make her a minister in the Modi Cabinet. Her stature will go up with this move.
Be that as it may, the fact remains that at the present juncture, the BJP cannot afford to ignore Raje as the party has no leader in the state who could lead the BJP to victory.