BJP Says "Many Want To Join Us In Rajasthan", Will Be Screened

The BJP has decided to form a new "joining committee" in Rajasthan ahead of next year's assembly polls in the state. This will be part of its massive "Mission Rajasthan" programme drawn up to recapture power. Sources say many leaders from other parties, especially the Congress which is witnessing massive infighting, are waiting to join the BJP ahead of elections.

The party is expecting that the new committee will have its hands full vetting the leaders through background checks.  

The committee, sources said, will work under the leadership of senior party leader Arjun Ram Meghwal. It would also include Vasudev Devnani, MLA from Ajmer North and a former minister of the state.

The BJP has a history of filling its ranks from state leaders ahead of elections. A case in point is Bengal, where a chunk of leaders from Trinamool Congress, under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari, joined the party.

But that had backfired, with long-timers in the party clashing with the new-comers. The massive victory of Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress was blamed partially on the state BJP's internal feuds and the traffic had reversed soon after, with many leaders heading back to Trinamool.

Infighting had surfaced in Madhya Pradesh as well, shortly after Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP with his 21 followers in 2020, bringing down the Congress government led by Kamal Nath. There was much bitterness in the party as a chunk of portfolios in the new government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan went to the newcomers.

In Rajasthan, the BJP is hoping to reap benefits from the rift between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.

Following the open rebellion by Mr Gehlot's loyalists over the Congress presidential elections, there has been talk of disciplining the rebels.

The Congress has already issued warning to the Gehlot loyalists. Pointing to leaders who spoke out of turn, senior Central leader of the party, KC Venugopal, said strong action will be taken for their statements on the party's "internal matters and against other leaders".

More than 90 MLAs loyal to Mr Gehlot had launched a rebellion last month, skipping a Legislature Party meeting after reports that his arch-rival Sachin Pilot may succeed him in the top post. They had even refused to comply with party chief Sonia Gandhi's instructions, which included one-on-one meetings with Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, the central leaders who were tasked with resolving the situation.

Key central leaders privately agreed that the rebellion, which had hugely upset the Gandhis, could not have been conducted without Mr Gehlot's knowledge and approval.

While Rajasthan has a tradition of swinging between the BJP and the Congress at every election, the BJP is hoping that the row in the Congress camp will lead to a bigger victory.

The party is planning to launch an all-out attack on the Gehlot government with a statewide "Jan Aakrosh Yatra" from November 20. The month-long yatra will be led by Union ministers and will conclude with the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.