Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje visiting a temple is not new. She started her campaign for the 2018 polls with a stop at Charbhuja Temple in Rajsamand and paid her respects at several shrines during her two-month-long Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra. But her visit to Mata Bhatiyani Temple on Saturday is a bit more political, say sources.
The temple is located in the small town of Jasol in the Barmer desert. Jasol happens to the hometown of former Foreign Affairs minister Jaswant Singh and thus his son Manvendra Singh, who recently quit the BJP to join Congress.
Jasol falls in Pachpadra tehsil, where Manvendra wields considerable influence. It was the stage for his Swabimaan rally in which he made his now famous statement, 'Kamal ka phool, sabse badi bhool', before walking out of the saffron party.
During her yatra, Raje had skipped Sheo, the Assembly constituency Manvendra represented as well as the revered temple.
" The Chief Minister was greeted by members of the temple trust, most of whom are Jaswant Singh's kin," a BJP office-bearer told DNA.
Apart from the temple, Raje made it a point to visit the famous Ashotra Dham where she met Tulsaram Maharaj, a spiritual leader of the Rajpurohit community.
Rajpurohits are priests associated with royal families and Rajput lords. Raje met him and other members of the community separately for 15 minutes.
"Tulsaram Maharaj is revered through Barmer and Jaisalmer and is consulted by prominent Rajput families, including the former royals," a party official said.
There are around 80,000 Rajpurohit voters in western Rajasthan alone.
Manvendra is believed to be contesting the Barmer-Jaisalmer parliamentary seat in 2019, and his wife Chitra is also seeking an Assembly ticket. The power couple built their entire campaign around Raje's unkept promises and sidelining of Rajputs during the BJP regime.
Now her visit is seen as a message to the community in Barmer that the party stands with them. The move is in line with accusations by Rajput representatives in BJP that Manvendra is deserting his electorate for political gains ahead of elections. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and BJP MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Shahpura legislator Rao Rajendra Singh have publically lambasted Manvendra for being opportunistic.
