Even as the Rajasthan BJP faces a factional war, Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia has met BJP national president JP Nadda to brief him on the readiness for the by-polls and the rift in the party.
Poonia met Nadda in Delhi on Saturday and discussed the preparations for the four assembly by-polls and Nadda’s visit to Rajasthan on March 2. Party sources said Poonia briefed Nadda about how the BJP plans to take on the ruling Congress in the by-elections.
Nadda will be on a one-day visit to Jaipur on March 2 where he will address the state executive meeting and try to motivate the divided state unit to put up a united face to take on the Congress and the impact of the farmers’ agitation which is raising concerns in the BJP.
Poonia also apprised Nadda about the organisational programmes and issues within the Rajasthan unit which has been hit by factionalism. The letter controversy in the party has again underlined the rift. Party sources said Poonia discussed these issues with Nadda who sought to know how the divide within the party is being managed.
Around 20 MLAs, considered close to Raje, have written to Poonia about allotting time to BJP MLAs to speak in the assembly which is underway. MLAs such as former assembly speaker Kailash Meghwal, Pratap Singh Singhvi, Kalicharan Saraf, Pushpendra Singh, Narendra Nagar and others have complained that they were not allotted time to speak by the leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria and deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore.
In recent weeks, there have been several developments that have pointed to a growing divide in the party. Supporters of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje said the party has sidelined her and have been openly voicing their discontent and calling for Raje to be the CM face in the 2023 assembly elections.
Raje’s supporters are preparing for a grand show for her on her birthday on March 8. Raje is planning to undertake a religious yatra on the Krishna circuit in Bharatpur district on March 8.
Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh who was in Jaipur a few days back also tried to address the issue of factionalism by meeting the Raje camp MLAs and listened to their grievances. He asked them to stay within the party line and speak to party leaders instead of making their complaints public.
