New Delhi: Keeping caste equations in mind, the BJP has appointed a new chief in Bihar to see it through next year’s assembly elections after its subdued performance in the Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP Thursday replaced Samrat Chaudhary with MLC Dilip Jaiswal as its state unit chief.
The party also appointed senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Madan Rathore as the new state president of Rajasthan. Rathore replaced C.P. Joshi, who is also the MP from Churu Lok Sabha constituency. Bypolls are scheduled later this year in Rajasthan.
According to a senior BJP leader, the central leadership has taken the decisions considering caste sentiments in both states.
Jaiswal is from the Khagaria district of Bihar and belongs to the Vaisya community. “The move is aimed at garnering the support of the Vaisya community ahead of the assembly elections. The community comes under the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) and constitutes a huge section of the population,” a senior BJP leader said.
Another party functionary claimed that Samrat Chaudhary, who is also the state’s deputy chief minister, was unable to garner support of his own community — Kushwahas and Koeris — which resulted in the party’s tally coming down to 12 in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP had contested in 17 seats.
Jaiswal, a third-term member of the Bihar Legislative Council, was recently given the position of a minister in the state. Jaiswal alleged corruption in his own department and said that no work was being done without bribes.
Another party functionary said that many senior leaders of the party were uneasy with Samrat Chaudhary while Jaiswal understood the system.
“Jaiswal is an experienced hand and he knows how to take everyone along. He has also been in-charge of Sikkim BJP and has been treasurer for the past two decades in Bihar. He knows how a party functions and what is required. The move will certainly motivate the cadre which had felt sidelined, especially during the Lok Sabha elections as their views were not taken into consideration,” said another leader.
Another leader said Chaudhary had been replaced because of the party’s “one man, one post” criterion. “Apart from this, the state unit was in shambles. Workers were not being heard, ‘pravas’ was not taking place it should have. It was a case of bad optics and the central leadership was unhappy with the way things unfolded.”
‘Lok Sabha Pravas’ was a pre-election campaign aimed at bolstering the grassroots presence of the saffron party.
In Rajasthan, where the party did not fare well either, sources said C.P. Joshi had expressed his desire to step down and also met senior leaders in Delhi.
In Rajasthan, a Brahmin and an OBC
Joshi, was appointed as the state president in March last year, ahead of the Assembly elections, and a need was felt to balance the caste equation as Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma was also a Brahmin face.
“A number of other leaders occupying top positions in the state unit were also Brahmin. So a need was felt to maintain the caste equation, which is why the party opted for Rathore, an OBC leader, as state president,” said a senior leader from Rajasthan.
Madan Rathore, 69, is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan. He has also served as an MLA before. Rathore is from Pali district and has served as an MLA twice during the tenure of Vasundhara Raje who was chief minister in 2003-08 and 2013-18.
“His name was also considered because he is of Teli-Ghanchi caste. The BJP is in a very strong position in Pali district. No leader of this caste from Rajasthan has been made a minister nor is someone from this caste at the Centre. This would work for social messaging for the party,” said a functionary.
The BJP also announced its Rajya Sabha MP Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal as party in-charge of Rajasthan with party national secretary Vijaya Rahatkar as co-in-charge.
Another party leader said Rathore’s RSS background also helped his case.
The BJP had won all 25 seats in 2014 and 24 in 2019, with an ally winning the remaining seat. However, the party suffered a setback in Rajasthan as it won just 14 seats out of 25, losing the rest to the Congress (eight seats) and its allies.
The party is now gearing up for the by-elections to be held in five assembly seats and the change in “caste equations” is aimed at improving the party’s poll prospects.
“He is a veteran leader of the party and is the OBC face of the BJP in the state. He had in fact asked for a ticket for the 2023 assembly elections but was refused. Upset over this, he decided to file as an independent candidate, but later on the persuasion of the party leaders, he withdrew his nomination. Many say it was actually Prime Minister Modi who spoke to him after which he changed his decision,” a leader said.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)