Rajasthan polls: BJP’s list of candidates triggers internal rift, protest erupts after being denied party ticket

A day after the BJP announced its first list of 41 candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly polls, at least five disappointed ticket aspirants -- or their supporters -- on Tuesday protested against the party.

In one case, supporters of a leader who was denied party ticket burned its flags.

Supporters of former BJP MLA from Jhotwara constituency Rajpal Singh Shekhawat protested against the candidature of BJP MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from the seat.

Shekhawat's supporters raised slogans demanding the removal of "parachute" candidate to save the constituency. A video of the protest is doing rounds on social media. Out of the 41 candidates, only three are women while 12 are those who were also fielded by the party in the 2018 assembly polls.

The 41 constituencies for which the BJP issued the list included six SC and 10 ST seats.

Polling for all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan will take place on November 23 and votes will be counted on December 3.

Amid reports of unrest in BJP over ticket distribution, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal says, “A team has formed for damage control. The team is being headed by MoS Kailash Choudhary. I too have spoken with 8-10 people. We hold reviews every day. We will do whatever damage control is required. All of them are workers of the BJP. When they were demanding tickets, they were competing against each other. Now, that tickets have been allotted, everyone will work to make the candidates - who received the tickets - win.”

Meanwhile, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said, “...PM Modi keeps visiting states again and again..after election, will PM Modi come and open colleges here?...will he come and make roads here? What will PM Modi do? They (BJP) can't decide a face here, they gave tickets to 9 MPs and I consider this as their biggest failure...this means they have accepted defeat and fielding MPs because of that...”

Also, BJP candidate from Kishangarh constituency in 2018, Vikas Choudhary has raised his voice against Ajmer MP Bhagirath Choudhary who has been fielded by the party from the seat.

Sharing his reaction to the list of 41 candidates, Vikas Choudhary wrote on X, "I have worked honestly."

He addressed his supporters on Tuesday in Kishangarh and said he will go by what people decide.

However, sitting MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi has yet not reacted after being denied a ticket from the Vidhyadhar Nagar assembly seat. The party has replaced him with erstwhile royal family member and Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari on the seat.

*With inputs from Agencies