BJP Rajasthan in-charge Kaptan Singh Solanki said the party will go into Assembly elections under the joint leadership of state party president Arun Chaturvedi and Leader of the Opposition Vasundhara Raje. He said the party has reigned in factionalism.
Mr Solanki’s comments come when a section of the party is engaged in sidelining Mr Chaturvedi, who has the backing of the RSS. Taking to mediapersons in Kota, Mr Solanki echoed similar sentiments what BJP national president Nitin Gadkari said during his visit to Jaipur last week.
Mr Solanki emphasised on collective leadership. He said the BJP will go into elections under joint leadership. But he also said the party will decide under whose leadership the elections will be contested. “BJP mein sangathan sarvpriya hai, vyakti nahi (For the BJP, the organisation is supreme, not the person),” Mr Solanki said.
Mr Solanki said nominating Ms Raje as Leader of the Opposition was the party’s collective decision. Asked whether the party will contest elections under Ms Raje’s leadership, he said Mr Gadkari already had said the party will go into elections under the joint leadership of Ms Raje and Mr Chaturvedi.
Political observers noted that Mr Gadkari gave equal importance to Ms Raje and Mr Chaturvedi during his Jaipur visit. It had boosted the morale of the RSS-backed faction of the party, which received a jolt when the high command put a stay on the appointment of Gujjar leader Prahald Gunjal as state vice-president. Mr Chaturvedi had appointed him vice-president.