The BJP is leaving no stone unturned for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. But the recently held assembly elections in Rajasthan gave a reality check to the saffron party. The state witnessed elections in December 2018, which led to the defeat of the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government. The Congress won 100 seats and became the single largest party in the state. The Grand Old Party then took the office with Ashok Gehlot as the Chief Minister.
Many contentious issues were circling around the Raje government, and perhaps became the reason behind its defeat. Following is a list of the reasons that might have sent the BJP in the state of Rajasthan, back to the pavilion:
Mewat Region – Mewat, comprising tehsils of both Haryana and Rajasthan, is the region where Rakbar Khan and Pehlu Khan were killed after being subjected to mob lynching. They were allegedly involved in cow smuggling. The Vasundhara Raje government drew flak as a consequence of these tragic incidents. It can be safely assumed that the BJP lost ground in this Muslim-majority region, and hence didn’t manage to win even a single seat.
India’s first Cow minister – India’s first Minister in charge of ‘Cow Affairs’, Otaram Dewasi lost his Sirohi seat by a whopping margin of 10,253 votes, to an independent candidate Sanyam Lodha. In 2015, Dewasi was appointed as the Minister of Gaupalan Department, Government of Rajasthan. Dewasi belongs to the Rabari community, which is traditionally livestock-dependent. He was the chairman of the Animal Husbandry Welfare Board before he was made a minister.
Firebrand Hindutva Leader Yogi Adityanath – In the recent assembly elections, the Congress fielded fifteen Muslim candidates, whereas the BJP gave the ticket to only one in Rajasthan. The BJP, which has a number of star campaigners, made Yogi Adityanath (who is known for his well-publicized anti-Muslim comments) campaign for their lone Muslim candidate. Out of the 15 candidates fielded by the Congress, seven won elections. Yoonus Khan, the only Muslim candidate of the BJP, lost the election to Sachin Pilot in Tonk constituency.
The Hindutva agenda affected other constituencies too. For example in Jaisalmer, BJP candidate Sang Singh Bhati lost to the Congress’ Rooparam. In Pokharan too, the party lost to the Congress’ Shale Mohammad, son of a Muslim ‘spiritual leader’.
The results of the assembly elections are an indication that ‘the Modi wave’ is slowly fading away. The BJP needs to revamp its strategy and focus on real issues, like poverty and unemployment. The party’s hard-line Hindu politics is losing its sheen now, and, to some extent, has backfired. Many believe that the party deviated from it promises, made at the time of 2014 general elections; which has left the people disenchanted.