BJP sets eyes on Rajasthan polls post win in 4 states; JP Nadda to visit state on April 2

After the party's stupendous victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, BJP is now aiming to win the Rajasthan Assembly polls due next year. As per sources, BJP national president JP Nadda will visit Rajasthan for two days beginning April 2 to take stock of the party's preparedness ahead of the election. A special programme will be organised by the SC and ST morchas of BJP in order to woo these communities, sources added. Moreover, the saffron party is paying a lot of attention to 16 Assembly seats and districts such as Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Tonk.

In the 2018 election, Congress won 100 seats in the 200-member Assembly as compared to the incumbent BJP which had to settle for 73 seats. Nadda's visit comes at a juncture when clamour is growing for Vasundhara Raje to spearhead the party's campaign in the next Assembly elections. Over the last two decades, she has been the main challenger to Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot and led BJP to massive wins in 2003 and 2013. 

Internal rift in Rajasthan BJP

The speculation about the rift between Vasundhara Raje and BJP state chief Satish Poonia has gained traction with her reduced participation in political activities after the saffron party's defeat in the 2018 Assembly polls. For instance, she remained conspicuous by her silence during the crisis in Congress' Rajasthan unit whereby Sachin Pilot and multiple MLAs posed a serious threat to the stability of the Ashok Gehlot-led government in 2020. In fact, erstwhile BJP ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party accused Raje of trying to save the Congress government in Rajasthan.

Incidentally, Pilot too accused the Chief Minister of helping his predecessor in multiple ways such as allowing her to retain a government bungalow. Amid rumours that the BJP vice-president is not the preferred CM face of the top brass for the 2023 polls, several persons claiming to be her supporters floated the 'Vasundhara Raje Samarthak Manch Rajasthan'. The outfit's letterhead which has the photo of Raje and BJP co-founder Vijaya Raje Scindia closely resembles the letterhead of BJP. Its office bearers have demanded that she should be declared the CM candidate for the next Assembly election as well.

Her independent initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic such as a helpline and 'Vasundhara Jan Rasoi'- providing free food to the poor have been perceived as an attempt to reassert her authority. While the BJP vice president stayed away from campaigning for BJP in the recently concluded bypolls which Congress won, she toured 8 districts between November 23 and 27, 2021, and attended about a dozen condolence meetings besides visiting temples. Furthermore, several MPs, MLAs and former legislators were present at her birthday celebrations on March 8- indicating huge support for her within BJP.