By IANS,
Jaipur : Former minister Gulab Chand Kataria appears to be leading the race in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to be the new leader of the opposition in the state assembly to succeed former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
The state unit has suggested the names of former ministers Kataria, Ghanshyam Tiwari and Narpat Singh Rajvi for the post now held by Vasundhara Raje, who the BJP central leadership wants to step down.
The central leadership and the state unit seem to feel that Kataria would be the ideal choice.
One factor in his favour is his perceived closeness to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP.
Also, Kataria is from the Jain community. Since BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi is a Brahmin, the party does not want Brahmins to occupy two key posts.
On the other hand, Rajvi is son-in-law of former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, a former chief minister of Rajasthan and a giant in state politics.
If Shekhawat has his way, then Rajvi, a Rajput, will grab the position.
The other name doing the rounds is that of Rao Rajendra Singh. “Rajendra Singh seems to be a compromise candidate for both factions,” said a party insider. “He has a clean image and is young.”
Irrespective of what happens, the fact is that the BJP, after its drubbing in the April-May Lok Sabha election, is passing through a major upheaval.
Of Rajasthan’s 25 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP won only four — a shocking fall from the 21 it won in 2004. The Congress swept 20 Lok Sabha seats in May.
The fight between the central leadership and Vasundhara Raje shows no signs of ending. She has been asked to step down as leader of opposition in the state assembly but she has not obliged.
BJP president Rajnath Singh asked her to quit nearly a month ago. She was to do so Aug 31 after a short session of the assembly.
A BJP source said although Vasundhara Raje had maintained that she would abide by the party directive, she wants her successor to be someone close to her.
She wants either former health minister and close aide Digambar Singh or another former cabinet colleague Rajendra Singh Rathore to be the new leader of the opposition.
Despite the BJP central leadership’s determination to see her go, Vasundhara Raje is believed to enjoy the support of at least 59 of the 78 legislators of the party in the state assembly of 200.
The former chief minister, BJP sources said, also wants reinstatement of two suspended legislators.
Rajender Singh Rathore and Gyan Dev Ahuja were suspended from the primary membership of the party on disciplinary grounds Aug 18.