Rajasthan: Ex-leader of Opposition blames BJP internal rivalry for his election defeat

Rajasthan's former leader of the Opposition (LoP) and senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore on Monday blamed the party’s internal rivalry for his defeat in the recently held elections in the state. Rathore lost the election from Tara Nagar assembly segment.

“I welcome the peoples’ decision. However, many Jaichands (historically, the man who betrayed Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan to Muhammad Ghori) also played their role in defeating me. The workers will soon pull the masks off all those who worked against me in the elections,” Rathore told media persons in Sadulpur.

However, he added that new chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's government will only work for the welfare of the people.

“As soon as the new the cabinet takes oath, we will bid farewell to the previous government which had looted the state and was based on lies. The new government will make its own roadmap to fulfil the promises made in the resolution letter,” Rathore said.

Interestingly, Bhajan Lal, a Vipra Brahmin who is a four-time general secretary of the BJP’s state unit, was suspended by the BJP in 2003 when, after being denied an election ticket by the party, he contested the elections on a ticket from the Samajik Nyay Manch from Nadbai and lost his deposit, after which he tendered an unconditional apology to the BJP.

In appointing him chief minister, the party ignored the claims of two-time CM Vasundhara Raje and discounted all speculation about Union ministers Ashvini Vaishnaw, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and Arjun Meghwal. The last named is a Union minister, a Dalit and a former IAS. 

Apart from its own 115 seats won during the recent Rajasthan assembly elections, the BJP also has the support of seven Independents, who were elected as BJP rebels this time, but have since extended their support to the parent party.