Rajasthan: ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ and Hindutva pitch demand a new CM face and governance style

Is Rajasthan going to be led by a new face, as has happened in MP and Chhattisgarh?

All eyes are on who will take over as Rajasthan chief minister.  BJP is taking its time weighing the pros and cons before making the decision.  The Rajasthan verdict has a special place for BJP, as the party opted for bold experiments with a clear strategy to break from the past and hasten a leadership transition.

In one of his first Rajasthan rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that “umeed aur umeedwar (hope and candidate) is one and only kamal (lotus, the party symbol)” suggesting that no one was bigger than the party. BJP leaders now interpret this as him telling the people in Rajasthan that he will make such an arrangement that the state will not need to vote out the incumbent government in future.

Bold Decision On Cards

The cues emerging out of BJP signal a decisive move on the cards on the leadership issue. There isn’t a shade of doubt in the BJP that the party won in Rajasthan on the basis of Modi’s appeal. The party believes that Rajasthan was the toughest battle because Congress had turned the state into a laboratory for its welfare schemes with legislative backing.

The backdrop of the BJP victory calls for a new face in the hot seat in Jaipur who will readily be a protégé of Modi in governance. With “Modi ki Guarantee” having been offered by the PM himself on the campaign trail, it is only natural that he will keep a close watch on the affairs of the state to ensure that voters aren’t left disappointed and the party is on a strong footing for future elections.

BJP’s Lens On Incorruptible Face

The BJP ambushed the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government with a volley of corruption charges. The ‘Red Diary’ and ‘paper leaks’ topped the BJP chart of ammunition against the Congress. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi also had made it clear that the party spotlight that he “delivered a corruption-free government for five years”. This, for Modi, is a recipe for success against anti-incumbency.

The BJP parliamentary board may take a favourable look at a candidate who is perceived popularly as incorruptible. The BJP leaders argue that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, being a monk, has built an incorruptible image. At the same time, a bachelor chief minister like Manohar Lal Khattar, claim the BJP leaders, enjoys the advantage of not being an easy prey to corruption charges.

The BJP hasn’t forgotten that the party was bruised in the Karnataka poll debacle after the Congress had run amok with its corruption plank against Basavaraj Bommai.

‘Sanatan’ Vote For Upholding ‘Dharma’

BJP leaders are making a distinction for the Rajasthan verdict by calling it a “Hindu mandate”. Modi himself built the poll narrative on the planks of the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal Teli and alleged law-and-order breakdown in Rajasthan. Adityanath showcased his “bulldozer justice” on the campaign trail in the state. BJP raised the poll fever also on the “Sanatan” pitch by claiming that Congress and its allies are against the “Sanatan Dharma” by amplifying the remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin.

The rousing reception to the hard Hindutva pitch may also be a factor in the chief ministerial choice for Rajasthan. Having tested its Hindutva template in the assembly polls, the saffron outfit has drawn confidence that the party can do far better with new faces who can weld the agenda of development, consolidation of Hindu vote base, and also a crackdown against mafias to appeal to the perceived demands by the people for an Uttar Pradesh-like administration.

There are at least half a dozen hopefuls in Rajasthan within the BJP ranks who are eying the hot seat. Besides Modi, only Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat may know the name of the next Rajasthan CM. While several names doing the rounds should be taken as “kite-flying” or intelligent guessing, it may be safely concluded that the nominee will be someone with age on their side for at least the next 10-15 years to helm the affairs of the party in the state.

Manish Anand is a senior Delhi-based journalist. Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.