JAIPUR: The Rajya Sabha elections are over but the political ruckus in Rajasthan refuses to end. Cross-voting by BJP MLA Shobharani, who voted for a Congress candidate, has sparked off a major row both within and outside the BJP.
While the MLA herself is adopting a defiant tone, her cross-voting has led to a big buzz and many in the RSS camp are recalling her closeness to former CM Vasundhara Raje and linking Shobharani’s revolt to the Raje camp.
The RLP which supported the BJP-backed Independent Subhash Chandra has already targeted Raje and even former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot has now questioned Raje’s silence on the issue.
After being suspended for her cross-voting, BJP MLA Shobharani is openly rebelling against the party. She claims that a conspiracy is being hatched to oust her from the party and has put many senior BJP leaders in the dock.
Shobha Rani violated the party whip by voting for Congress candidate Pramod Tiwari and was suspended and served a notice to reply within seven days.
Given the seriousness of the matter, the BJP high command has also called for a detailed probe and may expel Shobharani.
However, Kushwaha wrote on social media that "Thank you very much for taking action on me, but the readiness shown by the BJP in suspending me is strange. If you show it honestly on other big leaders working against the party, common workers will be happy."
Referring to the Dholpur Municipal Council chairman election, Kushwaha wrote, "we had enough numbers to win, but national leaders of BJP enabled the Congress to make a chairman. This information was given from Jaipur to Delhi, but those big leaders were far from being suspended. If they are not even given a notice, then which worker or leader would want to work in such a party."
BJP's strategy failed in the Rajya Sabha elections and the BJP-backed independent candidate Subhash Chandra was defeated.
The BJP's own house was dented though they were hoping for cross-voting from the Congress camp. Interestingly, MLA Shobharani is considered to be from the former CM Raje’s faction.
Some leaders of the anti-Vasundhara camp in BJP are now linking her cross-voting with the Raje camp. Shobharani is an MLA from the Dholpur district where Raje is the Maharani of the former royal family.
A leader of the anti-Raje camp said on condition of anonymity "due to the rebellious attitudes of former deputy CM Sachin Pilot two years ago, when Ashok Gehlot government crisis, even at that time, MLA Shobharani was standing behind the scenes with CM Gehlot. Since that time, Shobharani Kushwaha was in constant touch with people close to CM Gehlot.”
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal whose three MLAs had supported Subhash Chandra has criticized the cross-voting by BJP MLA Shobharani and linked it to her proximity to Vasundhara Raje.
He remarked, “the 'gathbandhan' between BJP leader Vasundhara Raje and CM Ashok Gehlot has led to cross-voting. The Raje-Gehlot 'gathbandhan' started 2 years ago and was also involved in horse-trading this time.”
While Raje herself has not reacted to the charges, leaders of the Raje camp have refuted such charges as baseless.
However, with Shobharani's cross-voting, a message has been sent that the BJP could not keep all its MLAs united and disciplined. This has given the ruling Congress a chance to attack the state unit of the BJP and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot has targeted former CM Vasundhara Raje. Calling the cross-voting ‘a behind-the-scenes game’, Pilot said that “a party which cannot play the role of an opposition responsibly, cannot be blessed by the public to become the ruling party. There is a rift and squabble among the BJP leaders, after the Rajya Sabha elections. You must have seen that former CM Vasundhara Raje did not give any statement. They didn't even condemn it (cross voting), but everyone is understanding the game behind the scenes inside. The BJP is completely exposed.”
Ever since BJP lost power in the state in the 2018 assembly election BJP's central leadership has marginalised Raje and her supporters and a battle of supremacy is going on between the Raje camp and the RSS camp led by state party president Satish Poonia.
Assembly elections are to be held in Rajasthan next year but the failure of the BJP's strategy in the Rajya Sabha polls has increased the worries of the party's central leadership.
Rajasthan BJP has also started an investigation. Senior leaders including BJP State President Satish Poonia, Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathod, Organization General Secretary Chandrashekhar, and State in-charge Arun Singh are investigating the reasons for cross-voting.
Their final report will be keenly watched in political circles in Rajasthan.