Vasundhara Raje- BJP's Formidable Leader In Rajasthan (Image: X @VasundharaBJP)
What the BJP mainly lacks in the Rajasthan Assembly election is a strong chief minister candidate. Vasundhara Raje Scindia, although a two-time Chief Minister and a prominent leader in Rajasthan politics, her role in the Rajasthan election is still not clearly defined, and it is mainly due to the leadership issues in the state.
Vasundhara Raje, the party”s most popular face in Rajasthan, began her political career in 1984 with the BJP. The leader became the vice president of the BJP youth wing in Rajasthan in 1985 and was also elected as a member of the 8th Rajasthan Assembly from the Dholpur constituency. Vasundhara Raje was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jhalawar in Rajasthan for the first time in 1989. In the 1991, 1996, 1998, and 1999 Lok Sabha elections too, Vasundhara Raje repeated the victory.
On December 8, 2003, Vasundhara Raje was sworn in as the first woman chief minister of Rajasthan, following the BJP”s massive victory with 120 seats and a vote share of 39 percent. On the other hand, Congress won only 56 seats. Vasundhara Raje mainly focused on providing comprehensive and inclusive development to the state. During this period, the empowerment of women was a major focus area of the Rajasthan government. In 2007, Vasundhara Raje bagged the United Nations “Women Together Award.” This is for the leader”s contribution to popularizing Kota Daria and Khadi in India and abroad. However, dissatisfaction with the state government on specific issues and a poorly run campaign helped Congress win the 2008 Rajasthan Assembly election. After the defeat, Vasundhara Raje was appointed as the leader of the opposition. In 2013, Vasundhra Raje Scindia delivered an incredible victory for the BJP in Rajasthan, winning 162 seats of the state”s 199 seats. With this victory, Vasundhara Raje performed her second innings as the Rajasthan CM and continued till 2018.
The BJP failed to impress the voters again and lost the Rajasthan assembly election in 2018. During her tenure from 2013 to 2018, Vasundhara Raje ordered the broadening of roads by removing the encroachments. In the process, several temples were reportedly either demolished or removed. The RSS, the BJP’s parent organization, also expressed displeasure with these actions. This angered the voters, and it was one of the strong reasons for the BJP”s defeat in 2018.
After the 2018 elections, Vasundhara Raje was ignored by the party. The leader had no role in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This year, Vasundhara Raje was notably absent from major campaigns in the state. The prominent leader is not the face of the BJP’s campaign this year. While addressing a rally in Chittorgarh, PM Modi said that the face of the party in the upcoming elections is its symbol, the lotus itself. This statement indicates that the BJP is in a dilemma in choosing CM face in Rajasthan. The party is also aiming for a leadership change in the state. That is the reason why the BJP is fielding seven MPs in the Rajasthan polls, including senior leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Vasundhara Raje was named in the BJP’s second list of candidates. The BJP leader is contesting from the Jhalrapatan seat, from which she has won four times. In 2018, Vasundhara Raje won the seat with 116484 votes.
On November 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vasundhara Raje shared the stage at an election rally, and it was the first rally in which both leaders were present after the election was declared. It is sure that the BJP cannot ignore Vasundhara Raje completely, as the party lacks strong contenders in the state in the assembly election.
