The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keeping a close watch on events unfolding in Rajasthan as the Congress grapples with uncertainty over whether Ashok Gehlot will remain chief minister or take up the post of party president.
The party will not precipitate any action, BJP functionaries said on Monday, or make a bid to form government in the state where internal bickering in the Congress, following the speculation that Gehlot could be replaced by Sachin Pilot, has cast a shadow over the government’s longevity.
The BJP is prepared for polls, which are scheduled in 2023, but will also be ready for an early election should such a situation emerge, a party functionary said on condition of anonymity.
“The party is always prepared for polls. We have been focusing on strengthening the party’s presence at the booth level and whatever will be the outcome…we will take a call based on the situation,” the functionary said.
In 2020, the BJP was blamed by the Congress for engineering a defection in the party when a group of legislators led by Pilot rebelled against Gehlot. Though the group claimed they wanted to draw attention to governance issues, Gehlot alleged that 19 MLAs, including Pilot, were threatening to cross over to the BJP. He also alleged that the BJP was in touch with the group, which was denied by both the BJP and the Pilot camp. Pilot and the legislators returned to the fold shortly after that.
With assembly elections inching closer, the BJP does not want to be blamed a second time for stoking unrest in the opposition camp. The party leader quoted above said the party wants to make the Gehlot government’s governance deficit a poll issue.
“We are confident of winning the polls because there has been a sharp increase in cases of atrocities against Dalits, corruption, crime against women and cases of hate crime. The people of Rajasthan are ready to bring the BJP back to power,” the functionary said.
To be sure, for the past three decades, the state’s voters have never re-elected an incumbent government.
On speculation that the party would favour the imposition of President’s rule should the situation deteriorate, the functionary said it would be “premature” to comment on it.
The BJP has already begun poll preparations and a series of visits and public functions by national leaders have been firmed up to galvanise the cadre. In the 2018 assembly election, the BJP won 73 of the 200 seats, while the Congress won 100.