Agitated BJP Workers Vandalise Party Office In Rajasthan’s Rajsamand Constituency — WATCH

Rajasthan Election 2023: Protests against ticket distribution are not confined to Rajsamand alone as dissident BJP supporters also demonstrated in Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Kota, Jaipur, Alwar, and Bundi.

BJP workers staged a protest over the party ticket being given to BJP leader Deepti Kiran Maheshwari from Rajsamand Assembly constituency.

Source : X/@ANI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan finds itself in the midst of a growing internal challenge as supporters of dissident leaders express their discontent over ticket distribution for the forthcoming assembly elections. This unrest has culminated in widespread protests across various regions of the state. In Rajsamand district, supporters of BJP dissidents were seen vandalising furniture at the party's office and set campaign-related material ablaze on the streets, alongside burning tyres, news agency PTI reported.

Their grievances centre around the selection of Deepti Maheshwari as a candidate for the elections. Notably, no formal case has been registered in connection with these incidents, as confirmed by the local police, reported PTI.

The BJP's state disciplinary committee reacted swiftly to these acts of indiscipline, suspending four members from the primary membership of the party. Devi Lal Jatiya, Himmat Kumawat, and Mukesh Sharma are among those who faced suspension. The committee's chairman, Omkar Singh Lakhawat, conveyed this decision in a letter to Rajsamand district president Ajay Prajapat.

Protests against ticket distribution are not confined to Rajsamand alone. Dissident supporters in Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Kota, Jaipur, Alwar, and Bundi also took to the streets, where they burned effigies in vocal opposition to the party's candidate choices. This marks the second round of protests, with similar demonstrations occurring when the party released its initial list of candidates, as per PTI's report.

In Rajsamand, the discontent manifested as a group of local BJP contenders, including Dinesh Badala, Ganesh Paliwal, and Mahendra Kothari, and their supporters entered the party office. The protestors raised slogans against Deepti Maheshwari and inflicted damage on the office's furniture. A video capturing these events has since gone viral.

Deputy Mayor Paras Singhvi, a contender for a ticket from Udaipur, also expressed his displeasure after being denied candidature. He accused Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, a former MLA, of meddling in Udaipur's political affairs. Singhvi went on to issue a warning that if the party does not reconsider its decisions, it could face severe consequences, the report stated.

Protests were not limited to Udaipur, as BJP's sitting MLA Chandrabhan Singh Akya's supporters demonstrated once more. This comes after the party denied him a ticket for the Chittorgarh seat. The protestors burned the effigy of the party's state president, CP Joshi, and urged the party to field a local candidate. Akya, who had previously represented the seat in 2013 and 2018, accused Joshi of settling old scores against him. The BJP has selected Narpat Singh Rajvi, the son-in-law of five-time MLA Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, for the Chittorgarh seat.

The BJP leadership, including CP Joshi, reiterated that candidate selection is a collective process and not the result of individual decisions. Joshi expressed confidence in the party's candidate list and suggested that any resentment will be addressed amicably, as all party members are part of a larger family.

Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore emphasised that decisions are made collectively and that the state president has not harbored grudges against anyone. Efforts are ongoing to communicate with dissenting MLA Chandrabhan Singh to facilitate understanding.

Protests and opposition also surfaced in other regions. In Jaipur, supporters of sitting BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti protested and set tyres on fire after the ticket was allocated to party's state general secretary Bhajanlal Sharma. In Kota South, Vikas Sharma's supporters demonstrated and voiced their objections to Sandeep Sharma's candidature for the seat.

The discontent extended to Alwar, where supporters protested against Sanjay Sharma, who secured a ticket. They called for the nomination of a new face. In Bundi, a similar protest unfolded against BJP's Ashok Dogra, with supporters advocating for fresh representation, PTI reported. 

A total of 200 assembly seats are at stake, with BJP having announced candidates for 124 of them thus far. Voting is scheduled for November 25, and the results will be disclosed on December 3.