In Rajasthan, BJP skips fielding ministers opposite Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, November 2

The BJP on Thursday skipped fielding any Union Minister opposite Rajasthan Congress stalwarts — Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

The party, in the third Rajasthan candidates list, chose state leaders to take on Congress bigwigs.

Former chairperson of Jodhpur Development Authority Mahendra Singh Rathore will contest against CM Gehlot in the latter’s traditional seat Sardarpura. Ex-MLA Ajit Singh Mehta will fight Pilot in Tonk. Mehta had won Tonk for the BJP in 2013. Pilot wrested it back in 2018. The BJP had earlier fielded seven MPs in the state elections due on November 25. Although it was widely speculated that the party may field union ministers opposite Congress top brass to send a message of preparedness, the possibility looked remote from the beginning as internal party surveys continued to signal a saffron edge. The speculation stemmed from the BJP fielding three sitting ministers including Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar in Madhya Pradesh.

“But MP is different from Rajasthan. In MP, we had to do our best to beat 18-year anti-incumbency of the CM. Fielding ministers in MP was part of the strategy to create a pro-BJP atmosphere and put up fresh faces along side CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has been in office since 2005,” said BJP sources. In Rajasthan, which follows a revolving-door policy when electing governments, the BJP did not ultimately feel the need to field ministers opposite Gehlot and Pilot.