Resort politics back in Rajasthan, BJP shifts candidates to hotels ahead of civic poll results

BJP leaders, however, officially say they have kept candidates in hotels to train them ‘on how to vote during the election of chairman in case they win’.

BJP workers with party flags at a rally (representational image) | PTI file

New Delhi: Resort politics is back in Rajasthan, with the BJP shifting all its candidates to hotels in various districts, fearing ‘poaching’ by the ruling Congress ahead of the results of the municipal elections Sunday.

Last year, Congress was keeping its MLAs in hotels to prevent poaching attempts by the BJP after Sachin Pilot mounted an open rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in July and also ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in June.

The municipal elections are being seen as an acid test for state BJP president Satish Poonia as the party did not do well during the last civic elections in December 2020. 

According to sources in the BJP, the party has given the responsibility of arranging the resorts and keeping the candidates there to municipal election in-charges and district presidents.

“Last time, when the municipal elections took place in December for 50 seats, the state government had tried to use its influence to poach the candidates using force too. This is why we decided to keep them all at a safe place in different districts under which they fall. Results will be out tomorrow and we will decide the next strategy whether some will continue to stay in the resorts or not,” said a BJP functionary.

Officially, however, the BJP has termed it a training process for the candidates. 

The Congress, meanwhile, said the party “doesn’t have a culture of poaching”, and the BJP is using it for “publicity stunt”.

The civic body polls in the state was held on 28 January with around 76 per cent of the voters exercising their franchise. Voting was held for 90 civic bodies in 20 districts. Of the 90 civic bodies, 80 are municipalities, 9 are municipal councils and one is a municipal corporation.

Congress, BJP trade barbs

Poonia said the practice of training candidates to make them aware of the functioning of the party has been going on for years.

“This is a normal practice followed for years where we make the candidates aware of the ethos and functioning of the party by carrying out this training. Congress has introduced this system of poaching and attempts are made by them to influence candidates. By keeping them in resorts, all the candidates not only stay together, but stay safe too,” Poonia told ThePrint.

Vimal Katiyar, Rajasthan BJP spokesperson, also echoed similar claims.

“Hasn’t Congress also kept its candidates in hotels? We have kept our candidates to train them on how to vote during the election of chairman in case they win. At the same time, many who contest these elections are first-timers and are not aware of how the party functions and this becomes a platform to help them understand that,” he added.

Archana Sharma, Congress spokesperson in Rajasthan, however, said it’s the BJP that has tried to poach candidates across the country.

“Congress doesn’t have a culture of poaching. BJP is known for it. Across the country, they have tried to poach. They are using it as a publicity stunt, but we know they will not get any majority in these elections,” she said.