Vasundhara Raje Vasundhara Raje, Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
Vasundhara Raje, Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly

On one side, the BJP is actively campaigning for the assembly by-elections taking place across seven seats in Rajasthan, while on the other side, the party’s prominent leader and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is absent from the election efforts. Different conversations are taking place in political circles about this. There is speculation that Vasundhara Raje is upset this time as well, similar to the Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP has designated Vasundhara Raje as a star campaigner for the by-elections in Rajasthan; however, the party has not assigned her to campaign in any specific seat yet. Let us inform you that in the past, even as a member of the BJP core committee, Vasundhara Raje did not participate in party meetings.

Actually, former CM Vasundhara Raje is keeping a distance from the upcoming by-election in Rajasthan. BJP leaders have consistently emphasized this point, and he is also supporting it. Initially, BJP State President Madan Rathore provided an explanation. Following this, the state in-charge Radha Mohan Aggarwal informed the media that they provided clarification during the discussion. Both leaders stated that Vasundhara is not angry. She holds a senior leadership position in the party. In the gathering, their role should not be overlooked.

In this context, BJP Rajasthan in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal states that solely local leaders conduct campaigns for by-elections, questioning why Vasundhara Raje, being the national vice president, would participate in campaigning. Radha Mohan Das stated that he serves as the general secretary of BJP, while Vasundhara Raje holds the position of national vice president. Vasundhara Raje holds a higher position than I do. If I am not participating in the election campaign, how can someone of higher rank do it? He mentioned that the Bharatiya Janata Party views by-elections as local elections directly. As a result, she will not run a campaign.

Concurrently, political analysts indicate that the continuous explanations by leader Radha Mohan Agarwal demonstrate that the internal conditions within the BJP are unfavorable. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal’s remark is associated with the conclusion of the Vasundhara period in the state’s political landscape. Nonetheless, Vasundhara Raje and her followers have remained quiet for now.

It is reported that former opposition leader Rajendra Rathore has been barred from campaigning on certain seats for the assembly by-elections. Conversely, ex-state president Satish Poonia is also on the campaign trail, yet he has likewise been excluded from campaigning across all constituencies. It should be noted that Rajendra Rathore and Satish Poonia are seen as firm adversaries of Vasundhara Raje in the political landscape of Rajasthan.

It is important to note that this is not the first occasion on which Vasundhara has been sidelined from elections; previously, during the Lok Sabha elections, she was confined to her son’s constituency of Baran-Jhalwar. In addition to this, during the assembly elections, Vasundhara Raje led the Rajasthan BJP by conducting meetings in the highest number of seats, campaigning in over 40 constituencies.