Rajasthan elections: Raje prevails yet again, shows she is the boss

Jaipur, Nov 13: The BJP decided to repeat as many as 85 MLAs in its first list of 131 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly elections 2018.

The list was announced amidst rumours of run-ins that Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje has had with the central leadership of the party. The fact that she managed to get 85 sitting MLAs into the list suggests that she may have managed to prevail over the central leadership.

Raje's blow hot blow cold relationship with both the central leadership and the RSS has often been spoken about. After her thumping victory in 2013, there have reports that have emerged several times suggesting that she may be replaced.

It began with the Lalit Modi controversy and also during the mining scam. It may be recalled that in 2015, posters and hoardings demanding that Raje be replaced with Om Mathur.

The calls to replace her got louder after the defeat in the Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha by-polls. The BJP lost 16 assembly segments in the two LS constituencies and Raje had gone on to term the defeat as a wake up call.

However despite all these issues, she has managed to have her way around. Following the by-poll results, the state party president, Ashok Parnami resigned. The central leadership wanted to appoint Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, but Raje and her followers strongly opposed it. They felt that appointing Shekhawat, a Rajput leader would drive away the Jat votes. The party finally ended up appointing Madan Lal Saini as the state party chief.

Raje having her way in the selection of candidates has come as a shot in the arm for her.

She had promised to bat for her loyalists and managed to have her way around. These are the same leaders who have stuck with her despite calls for her replacement. In 2012, Ghulam Chand Kataria had announced a Yatra in the Mewar region.

The Yatra was being seen as an attempt to project himself as the chief ministerial candidate. Raje, it may recalled had threatened to quit the party and she had the backing of 50 MLAs who offered to join her. The Yatra had to be called off.