Absence of veterans in Raj BJP’s chintan shivir raises questions

Though the two-day BJP meeting named as ‘Chintan Shivar’ held in Rajasthan’s Kumbhalgarh town, gave a strong message to BJP workers to focus on Mission 2023 unitedly and stop the infighting, the absence of former CM Vasundhara Raje, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Bhupender Yadav left many questions unanswered.

BJP officials however played down the absence of these leaders and said they had their own personal and professional commitments.

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Raje’s daughter-in-law is unwell, Shekhawat has been assigned the task to handle Punjab crisis while Yadav is in charge of Manipal. Hence these leaders are absent from meeting.

The two-day shivir was held on Monday and Tuesday in Kumbhalgarh under the guidance of BJP’s National Organization General Secretary B.L. Santhosh.

It was decided in the meeting that the party shall contest the assembly polls without CM face on the basis of work done by the organisation and the central government.

The CM will be finalised as per the recommendations of the Parliamentary Board, said officials adding that the issue has been decided in the meeting.

The BJP in Rajasthan has been marred by factionalism since the high command appointed Satish Poonia as the state president, however the state leaders have denied that there is any infighting in the party.

The party said, CMs are being changed overnight, the new leadership has also been appointed in Rajasthan and hence the reason for the contradictions.

This leadership has been given free hand to deal with any kind of indiscipline in the party, a leader said.

Meanwhile, the chintan shivir chalked a roadmap to return to power via its Mission 2023. They brainstormed into strategies which could dethrone the Gehlot government.