Ozi Indian
Chandigarh, October 17
Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, a descendant of renowned Mewar king Maharana Pratap Singh, and Bhawani Singh Kalvi, son of Karni Sena founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi, today joined the BJP in the presence of Rajasthan state president CP Joshi and Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Both exuded confidence that people of Rajasthan will “support BJP and vote out Congress”. Both belong to the Rajput community—an important vote base in Rajasthan which the BJP is trying to woo.
According to observers, the aim appears to be to reassure the electorally important community after Narpat Singh Rajvi, a five-time MLA and son-in-law of party stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, lashed out at the Central leadership of the party after being denied a ticket.
As the saffron party gears up for the polls scheduled for November 25, it is taking no chances despite having the key advantage of anti-incumbency against the Ashok Gehlot government and the traditional revolving door syndrome in the state.
Rajasthan can be counted among the traditional Hindi heartland states that form the crux of the politics of two main contestants in Rajasthan—BJP and Congress.
In the upcoming elections, Rajasthan is an interesting state to watch out for due to various reasons.
In 2018, Congress managed to form the government in a tough fight with the ruling BJP. However, currently both sides, Congress and BJP, are dealing with multiple issues—factionalism, internal strife and chief ministerial aspirants. While Congress is also dealing with the anti-incumbency factor in the state that traditionally follows the revolving door syndrome, BJP appears to have ruffled many feathers by “ignoring rightful claim of those working hard on the ground for five years for the day.”
Rebellion has also been reported from Sanchore, where BJP fielded MP Devji Patel, and Tijara where party MP Balaknath received “dismal reception” when he reached the constituency after the announcement.
Meanwhile, in Jhotwara supporters of Rajpal Shekhawat showed black flags to former Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is contesting from the seat. Rathore’s peace offering by way of sweets failed to impress the supporters of Rajpal, according to reports.
In Nagar, where the party has fielded Jawahar Singh Bedam, Anita Singh Gurjar announced the decision to contest as an Independent. “The BJP has not given me a ticket due to my proximity to Vasundharaji. Instead, they gave the ticket to someone who lost in another constituency by 50,000 votes,” she wrote on the social media
