Rajasthan: With old guards gone, will Kirodi Lal Meena card be a game changer?

It will be a different scene in the assembly elections this time in Ajmer, Bharatpur and areas where the Meena voters are in high number in the state. The reason is that two of the seasoned politicians Sanwar Lal Jat and Digamber Singh who were also considered close to chief minister Vasundhara Raje passed away in recent years due to illness and Dr Kirodi Lal Meena, who was busy strengthening National People’s Party and opposing BJP in last elections is now in BJP. Both, Jat and Digamber Singh had a great influence not only in their communities but in their respective regions too.

Sanwar Lal Jat was well respected in Ajmer region for the works done by him as PHED minister in the earlier tenure of Raje. The chief minister had so much confidence on his abilities that when after 2013 assembly Jat was made PHED minister, he was asked to contest the Lok Sabha election from Ajmer, which were scheduled barely a few months away. Chief minister Raje herself went to Ajmer on the day of his nomination paper filing. After his death, his son Ramswaroop Lamba was fielded as BJP candidate from Ajmer in the by-elections held early this year. However, he could not regenerate the magic his father had in the minds of the voters and lost to Congress candidate Raghu Sharma.

Digamber Singh was no less a strongman in BJP. He was health minister during the last tenure of Raje and when in 2013 BJP got a massive majority of 163, unfortunately, the Jat strongman lost the election from Bharatpur in 2013.

Being a loyal leader to the chief minister, Singh again got a chance in 2014, this time to contest from Surajgarh which had fallen vacant after BJP MLA Santosh Ahlawat won the Lok Sabha election from Jhunjhunu constituency. He, however, against lost but Raje appointed him as chairman of 20 points program which was of cabinet minister rank. After the departure of these two leaders, BJP finally got a shot in the arm after Dr Kirodi Lal Meena returned into the party just before the Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year.

Meena had left BJP during the earlier tenure of Raje in 2008 and had been campaigning against the party ever since then. In 2013 elections, he contested against BJP from two seats, one in Sawai Madhopur and another in Lalsot. He tasted defeat at the hands of BJP candidate Diya Kumari in Sawai Madhopur while won from Lalsot.

Jat Strongman

CM had so much confidence on his abilities that when after 2013 assembly Jat was made PHED minister, he was asked to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Ajmer, which were scheduled barely a few months away.