Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023: BJP sidelines Raje, old-guards as part of attacking game plan

The BJP has released its first list of 41 candidates for Rajasthan, featuring seven MPs, and leaving out a few longtime members.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje found herself sidelined as the BJP central leadership overrode the state leaders in picking candidates for the November 23 assembly polls in a bid to oust the Congress while shaping a new leadership line-up.

The BJP named seven members of Parliament (MPs) in the first list of 41 candidates released on October 9, shortly after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule for Rajasthan and four other states.

Raje loyalists Rajpal Singh Shekhawat and Narpat Singh Rajvi seem to have been left out. Lok Sabha member Diya Kumari, who is from the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur, has been fielded from Shekhawat's Vidhayadhar Nagar seat, while Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, another MP, will contest from Jhotwara, a Rajvi stronghold.

In a break from practice, the BJP is unlikely to name a chief ministerial candidate in Rajasthan as well as the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, where it is in power.

The term of the 200-member Rajasthan assembly ends January 14, 2024. In 2018, the Congress won 100 seats and crossed the half-way mark with two independents joining the party.

The BJP was restricted to 73 seats, as the western state continued its practice of not voting back a government.

Sources said more Raje loyalists and senior leaders were likely to find themselves on the sideline when the party comes out with the next sets of names for the polls that are being held barley five months before the general election. The party would bring in more new faces to test the electoral waters.

The BJP also fielded the state's tallest tribal leader Kirodi Lal Meena from Sawai Madhopur in eastern Rajasthan to get the support of the community that has a sizable presence in the state.

With Meena in the fray, the BJP is looking to improve its tally in Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Dausa districts after it won only one of the 24 seats in 2018 elections.

Political commentator Rasheed Kidwai said the BJP’s decision to field MPs in Rajasthan showed its confidence. Pre-poll surveys have indicated that the party has a fair chance of winning Rajasthan.

“Had the BJP been in a close contest, Vasundhara Raje would have been the driving force but it seems that the party is aware of its comfortable position and is experimenting with a new strategy. This tactic involves sidelining Raje and paving the way for new leadership,” Kidwai said.

The central leadership had taken an attacking stance and Raje was going with the flow and not trying to counter the party brass to ensure that her position as a leader remained intact, he said.

The BJP has fielded three union ministers and four MPs in Madhya Pradesh, where it is trying to retain power, replacing sitting MLAs and old-timers.

The counting of votes in Rajasthan and other four states will be done on December 3.