Role Of Hanuman Beniwal And Rashtriya Loktantrik Party In Rajasthan Polls (Image: X @hanumanbeniwal)

Apart from the BJP and Congress, smaller parties also have an important role in the Rajasthan Assembly election as they have the capacity to make impacts on the voting results in favor of or against any of the two big parties. Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), led by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, is one of the parties competing in the Rajasthan polls.

Hanuman Beniwal, a firebrand Jat leader, is expecting to put up a close fight on almost 80 of the total 200 assembly seats in the desert state. In the 2018 assembly polls, RLP contested on 58 seats and secured three seats. However, Hanuman Beniwal”s party played spoilsport in several constituencies. On that occasion, the Hindustan Times, citing political analyst Shankarlal Dhariwal, reported that the performance of the RLP in Rajasthan was an indication that Congress and the BJP were not the only choices for the people. RLP, which was formed in 2018, is aiming to repeat the same trend in the 2023 Assembly polls.

Hanuman Beniwal won the Nagaur Lok Sabha seat in alliance with the BJP in 2019. Hanuman Beniwal defeated Congress candidate Jyoti Mirdha by 181260 votes. The RLP leader secured 660051 votes with a vote share of 54.86 percent. However, in December 2020, Hanuman Beniwal left the NDA alliance as he was unhappy with the central government”s stand on the new farm laws and the way it handled the farmers” protest. The RLP leader also claimed that no alliance is bigger than a farmer”s dignity. This has improved Hanuman Beniwal”s personal image as a farmer and a Jat leader. With this move, RLP also aimed to become a formidable third force in Rajasthan.

Ahead of the 2023 Assembly election, RLP and the Azad Samaj Party (ASP) announced an alliance in Rajasthan. The political landscape in Rajasthan has shifted with the formation of this alliance. This is because the RLP leader has a strong presence in the farmer and Jat community segments, and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has support in the Dalit community.

Hanuman Beniwal is contesting from the Khinvsar seat in the Rajasthan polls. The Khinsvar seat is currently represented by Hanuman Beniwal”s brother, Narayan Beniwal. Hanuman Beniwal and his party are making efforts to become the third force in Rajasthan, but several claim that the RLP leader cannot make it by depending only on Jat votes. However, RLP will be a crucial factor in the Rajasthan Assembly election.