Rajendra Rathore, BJP's Troubleshooter In Rajasthan (Image: X @Rajendra4BJP)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed Rajendra Rathore as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan assembly on April 2, 2023. Rajendra Rathore, a seven-time MLA, has held various positions, like state minister and deputy state president of the BJP. As the party is aiming for a victory in the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly election, Rajendra Rathore is also playing a vital role in the BJP”s election strategies.
Rajendra Rathore, who obtained his degrees of B.Sc., MA, and LLB from Rajasthan University, began his journey as the President of the Student Union at Rajasthan University in 1979. The BJP leader won his first election from the Churu constituency in Rajasthan in 1990 on the Janta Dal ticket. In 1993, Rajendra Rathore joined the BJP and won the 1993, 1998, 2003, 2013, and 2018 assembly elections from Churu. In 2013, Rajendra Rathore joined the Rajasthan cabinet as PWD minister and served in the post till 2008. The leader again became health minister in the second Vasundhara Raje Cabinet from 2013 to 2016. Rajendra Rathore also served as cabinet minister for rural development and Panchayati Raj from 2016 to 2018.
In 2012, Rajendra Rathore was arrested in a case to a fake encounter. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made this arrest in connection with the alleged fake encounter of a liquor smuggler named Dara Singh. The BJP leader spent a month in jail before he was discharged by the CBI court. Rajendra Rathore was once a close aide of senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje, especially from 2003 to 2013.
Rajendra Rathore was appointed as the leader of the opposition in Rajasthan, as he has a strong influence on Rajput voters. The senior leader belongs to the Rajput community, a major votebank of the BJP in Rajasthan. Rajputs account for almost 6 percent of the total population in Rajasthan. Notably, in the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections, the BJP fielded 29 Rajput candidates, and among these, 24 candidates won.
In the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, Rajendra Rathore is contesting from the Taranagar constituency, and the BJP has fielded Harlal Saharan from the Churu constituency against Congress. Rajendra Rathore will be facing tough competition in the Taranagar constituency, as it is the sitting seat of Congress. In the 2018 Assembly Elections, Congress candidate Narendra Budania was voted to power, achieving 31.95 percent of the votes. This time too, Congress has given the seat to Narendra Budania. In October, Rajendra Rathore said that he was not in the race for the chief minister”s post in Rajasthan. However, Rajendra Rathore, who is not seen as belonging to any power faction within the BJP, is also projected as a CM contender in case of a BJP win in Rajasthan.
