JAIPUR: After losing 11 of the 25 seats in the Rajasthan Lok Sabha elections and with by-elections to five state assembly seats looming, the BJP appears to be trying to make amends with former chief minister Vasundhara Raj Scindia.
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma visited Raj at his residence on Sunday. The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, is believed to have focused on the upcoming by-elections and the state budget. Observers interpreted Sharma’s visit as an attempt to mend ties with Raj.
Since Sharma took over as chief minister, Raj has distanced himself from government and party activities, notably missing key events such as the expansion of Sharma’s cabinet, a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for state legislators and party leaders, and a strategy meeting on preparations for the Indian Lok Sabha elections.
During the Lok Sabha elections, Ms Raj limited her campaigning to Jhalawar constituency, where her son Dushyant Singh was the candidate, and avoided campaigning elsewhere. This was widely seen as a sign of her discontent, and many believe this was a major factor in the BJP’s drop from 25 to 14 seats in the elections. Experts suggest that the party is trying to win over Mr Raj’s support and that efforts to appease him as prime minister are key.
A defeat in the upcoming by-elections, despite the BJP’s grip on power in the state, could put pressure on Sharma. After the Lok Sabha defeat, veteran party leader Kirori Lal Meena resigned, putting moral pressure on Sharma to take responsibility for the party’s poor performance. But while the Lok Sabha election was largely about Modi’s popularity, in the state by-elections the blame could be placed explicitly on Modi.
It is not clear whether the meeting between Bhajanlal Sharma and Raj was on the instructions of the commander in chief or was a decision taken at his discretion.
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