In the wake of uprising anti-incumbent forces and negative feedback, the BJP in Rajasthan has decided to field fresh faces in around 100 seats out 0f 200 assembly seats in the upcoming elections. The party had conducted a 3-day feedback program through which the disappointment in the party is clearly visible.
BJP officials stated that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is facing increasing pressure from party workers over negative feedback on many of her cabinet ministers and sitting MLAs. This might lead the party to change candidates in at least 100 of the total 200 constituencies, they said.
Some of the ministers who have come under the radar are home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, public health engineering department minister Surendra Goyal, public works department minister Yunus Khan and Devasthan minister Raj Kumar Rinwa.
A senior BJP leader, who is part of the party’s election management committee, said, “There are indications that around six cabinet ministers will be denied the ticket”. Rajasthan has had a history of voting out candidates repeated by the ruling party.
In 2008, the BJP fielded 68 candidates who had contested the 2003 election, out of which only 28 of them could winn while 40 sitting MLAs including 13 ministers lost the election.
“Those ministers included veterans Rajendra Singh Rathore, Narpat Singh Rajvi and Prabhu Lal Saini, who had to switch seats to beat anti-incumbency and win the election,” said a BJP leader. Similarly, in 2013, the ruling Congress fielded 105 candidates who had contested the 2008 election. Of which only 14 of them won the election.
The first feedback session from party workers of BJP has completed today. The feedback was taken from 102 assembly constituencies which included Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kota and others. The next session will be conducted from 20- 23 October in Jaipur. The feedback will be taken from 98 constituencies including Bharatpur, Ajmer etc. These suggestions will be sent to the central committee who will take them to consider while deciding the candidate.
The state will conduct the election on December 7th and the counting will take place on 11th December.