BJP plagued by factionalism, Congress showing slowness in finalizing names of candidates
Jaipur : When will the first list of candidates come out, this has become a big question in the Congress as well as in the BJP camp.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said a few months ago that the party would announce the list of candidates two months before the elections, but speculation is rife about when the list will come.
Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa told IANS, “We are planning to bring winnable candidates. Our focus is on the youth. Our first list should come out soon after the announcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
There is huge speculation in the Congress party which is badly affected by factionalism due to the feud between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot. Apart from this, there are also reports that due to the impact of anti-incumbency wave on the local MLAs, about 30 percent of the tickets will be cut this time.
However, Randhawa denied reports of factionalism and said the party was united. He said, “There is no division and there are no two camps. Have you seen anyone speaking against others in the last few months?” he asked without naming any leader in particular. Meanwhile, he acknowledged the fact that nepotism is a challenge in the party and the high command is working to overcome this problem in Rajasthan.
However, not only is the Congress considering its list of candidates and their victory factors, but the saffron party also seems to be in the same boat.
Recently, Union Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda and General Secretary (Organization) BL Santosh made a surprise visit to Jaipur, where they held a meeting with senior party leaders from Rajasthan. Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, Deputy Leader of Opposition Satish Poonia, Organization Secretary Chandrashekhar, MP Rajyavardhan Rathore and some others participated in the meeting. There was a sudden entry of MP Diya Kumari, who left after meeting Amit Shah for 10 minutes.
There were reports that Shah and team would also meet state RSS leaders, however the meeting was canceled without any explanation and was later held in Delhi. In the Delhi meeting, Rajasthan BJP leaders were asked to give the list of names of winning candidates. However, sources said the names given by state leaders did not match the names preferred by the party leadership and hence there was a delay in releasing the list.
B.L. Santosh again came to Jaipur and discussed the names with senior leaders. Therefore, it is expected that the first list will be released as soon as a consensus is reached.
Meanwhile, the party is also facing testing times as senior leader Vasundhara Raje is holding her own meetings and drawing huge crowds.
Party insiders say that she is trying to convince the top leadership about her strong claim for the post of Chief Minister by showing strength. Prime Minister Modi has announced that BJP’s symbol ‘lotus’ will be the face of the party during the elections. Although it is clear from Modi’s instructions that no leader from Rajasthan will be a face in these elections, but the party is reluctant to contest elections without a face.
BJP’s election committee in-charge Narayan Panchariya denied such claims. He said, “Raje has been a senior member of our family and her contribution to our party is huge. Actually, recently she was in Jharkhand and was the star of BJP’s show there. He was assigned four constituencies in Jharkhand for rallies to mark the completion of nine years of the Modi government and he did his job very well.
Speaking on the ticket issue he said, “It will come soon. Any time now.”
Meanwhile, party workers of Congress and BJP are anxiously waiting for the list and agree that factionalism is making it difficult for leaders to choose winnable candidates.
“We hope that youth and women will be given more opportunities in this election,” leaders of both parties told (IANS).
