SEASON OF ROADSHOWS

RAJASTHAN/RAJE-PILOT

- Rohit Parihar

Vasundhara Raje may not be the most popular leader with the BJP high command but there's no denying her place among the people in Rajasthan. The former chief minister was in Bikaner district in the northwest of the state on October 9-10 on a pilgrimage-cumpersonal visit and was attracting crowds in the thousands even as the local BJP apparatus-including local MP and Union minister Arjun Singh Meghwal-stayed away. Meanwhile, two heavyweight opponents were trying to challenge her in her den, Jhalawar and Baran, in southeast Rajasthan, in her absence. Raje represents Jhalrapatan in Jhalawar in the assembly and her son Dushyant is the Jhalawar-Baran MP.

On October 10, state BJP chief Satish Poonia, who is eyeing a second term, did a roadshow in Baran while Congress leader and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, who is looking to dislodge CM Ashok Gehlot, was part of a rally from Kota to Jhalawar where he presided over a function of the Akhil Bharatiya Yadav Mahasabha (Yuva). Poonia was allegedly a facilitator for Pilot and his MLAs when the latter had attempted his shortlived revolt in July 2020. The two may be holding a grudge as Raje had allegedly refused to back the move to topple Gehlot (which, it seems, ended her war with the latter).