BJP Left Red-Faced As Leaders Fight At Vasundhara Raje Rally

Two BJP leaders entered into a scuffle in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje during an event in Alwar on Saturday, embarrassing the party ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

A video tweeted by news agency ANI showed the two leaders -- Rohitash Sharma and Devi Singh Shekhawat -- grappling with each other on the stage as others try to break up the fight. The fight stopped only after the chief minister's security personnel forced Mr Shekhawat off the platform.

Sources said an argument broke out between Mr Sharma and Mr Shekhawat while Ms Raje was delivering her speech, eventually turning into a bout of fisticuffs. Both the leaders have accused each other of misbehaviour on the stage.

#WATCH: BJP leaders Rohitash Sharma & Devi Singh Shekhawat fight in presence of CM Vasundhara Raje during an event in Alwar, following which Shekhawat was brought down from stage by the CM's security personnel. The two leaders blamed each other of misbehaving on stage. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/VNYhD8kS6E

- ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2018

This is just the latest in a string of controversies faced by the Raje government.

The Gaurav Yatra, held by the ruling party to showcase its achievements in the run-up to the elections, has been the subject of much controversy lately. The opposition Congress has alleged that the BJP is misusing government machinery to ensure the Yatra's success, and demanded that the government suspend it with immediate effect.

The Rajasthan High Court had earlier ruled that no state-sponsored function can be held during the 40-day yatra, expected to cover 6,054 kilometres across 165 constituencies.

On Friday, BJP veteran Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh had announced that he would take out a Swabhimaan Rally in Rajasthan's Barmer district to counter Ms Raje's campaign. He finally quit the BJP on Saturday, saying that joining the party was a mistake.