JAIPUR : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma recently held a discreet meeting with former chief minister and senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje at her residence.
The meeting, which occurred late on Friday evening, was kept confidential, giving rise to fresh speculation within the state’s political circles. Sources indicate that the conversation between Sharma and Raje lasted around 20 minutes.
The Bhajan-Raje meeting came days after Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara attacked the BJP over the seat allotted to Vasundhara Raje in the Rajasthan Assembly.
He targeted the internal discord in the BJP, saying, “Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje has been placed in the opposition’s line. This clearly shows the internal discord within the BJP…Our former chief minister always sits next to the opposition leader. But Vasundhara ji has been brought right to the border. The seat allotted to Raje has been given next to RLD MLA Subhash Garg, BJP MLA Rajkumar Raut, and RLP MLA Hanuman Beniwal right behind them. This arrangement for her seat next to the opposition MLAs reflects the rift in BJP.”
Political circles in the state are buzzing that CM Bhajan Lal’s effort to meet Raje is an effort at damage control and a bid to appease the former CM.
Despite BJP’s return to power in Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, initially a strong contender for the Chief Ministerial post, was passed over in favour of Sharma, a first-time MLA.
Raje’s absence from the cabinet expansion ceremony on December 30 and the dinner with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party MLAs on January 5 further strengthened her disillusionment rumours. However, when PM Modi visited Jaipur on January 25, Raje was visible at the airport, welcoming him, a moment that went viral on social media.
Political observers say that she is not one to tolerate being sidelined. There are speculations to express her discontent with the high command; she may stoke unrest at various levels leading up to the next Lok Sabha elections.