New Delhi: The BJP legislature party in Rajasthan Sunday elevated deputy Leader of Opposition (LoP) in assembly Rajendra Rathore to the LoP’s post. It also appointed former state unit chief Satish Poonia as Rathore’s deputy.
The LoP’s position was lying vacant since Gulab Chand Kataria was elevated to the post of Assam governor recently and Rathore’s name was seconded by none other than former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
Rathore was a part of Raje’s cabinet, but over the years, their relations soured. Party sources said to ThePrint that Raje’s overtures are being seen as an attempt to bridge the gap among the factions as she aims for a bigger role in the coming elections.
In the meeting held at the party headquarters in Jaipur, Rathore, who was the deputy to Kataria, was elected in the presence of new state party president C.P. Joshi, state in-charge Arun Singh, and state general secretary (organisation) Chandrashekhar.
A seven-time MLA, Rathore had held the deputy LoP’s post since 2018. He has been an MLA since 1990. He was also the parliamentary affairs minister during Raje’s first and second term as the chief minister.
Caste balance?
Rathore belongs to the Rajput community which is the core votebank of the BJP in Rajasthan. Elevating him to the LoP’s post is being seen as a caste balancing move by the party before the assembly polls due November. It already has Joshi, a Brahmin, as the party chief and Poonia, a Jat, as the deputy leader in the assembly. Brahmins constitute 7 per cent of the population, Gujar and Rajputs 9 per cent, and Jats 12 per cent, according to the 2011 census.
A senior party leader said to ThePrint over phone, “There isn’t much relevance of the LoP now, with just five months of this assembly’s term left. But Rathore has waited for this since 2018…”
A state party functionaries told ThePrint on phone, “Kailash Meghwal, who is close to Raje, left the meeting midway when Rathore’s name was announced. It shows that the Raje camp was in Meghwal’s favour…but Raje herself seconded Rathore’s name (because) she is interested in becoming the campaign committee chief to lead the election campaign.”
Another senior state unit leader said to ThePrint that when Joshi assumed charge, Raje sent one of her confidantes, Yunus Khan, to meet him last week. Raje joined the meeting through video conference. On Sunday, she was present for the legislature party meeting to elect Rathore with whom her relationship has soured over the years.
The party has been struggling to keep all factions together ahead of the polls, without having to project a CM face. But the Raje camp has been pushing that she be allowed to lead the campaign. Poonia’s recent replacement as the state unit chief has also been seen as an effort to make peace in the state unit as the two heavyweights head the rival factions in the party.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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