A voice of dissent has emerged in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan after the distribution of tickets for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Two-time Churu MP Rahul Kaswan, who was denied the ticket, has registered his protest amid indications that the Opposition Congress is trying to entice him. Mr. Kaswan, 47, may contest the Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate.
The BJP sprang a surprise by fielding Devendra Jhajharia, the first Indian Paralympics player to win two gold medals, as its candidate from Churu after denying the ticket to Mr. Kaswan. The party announced 15 candidates for the State, which has 25 Lok Sabha seats, in its first list released on March 2. Eight of the candidates are sitting MPs who were renominated.
Mr. Jhaharia, 42, has earned distinction as a javelin thrower and is known as the country’s most decorated Paralympics player, having won gold medals in 2004 in Athens and in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Mr. Kaswan’s candidature was apparently rejected because of allegations over his role in the defeat of senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore at Taranagar in the 2023 Assembly election.
In an emotional outburst, Mr. Kaswan asked in a long post on X on Monday about the reasons for not declaring him the Lok Sabha candidate for the third term. “Was I not loyal? Was I tainted? Did I leave any stone unturned in getting the works done in Churu?” he asked, adding that he had ensured implementation of all Central schemes in his constituency.
“What else was needed? Whenever I asked this question, everyone remained speechless. Maybe my own people can tell me something,” Mr. Kaswan said. The MP holds considerable influence among Jats in the Shekhawati region and carries the legacy of his father, Ram Singh Kaswan, who was elected thrice to the Lok Sabha in 1999, 2004 and 2009.
Amid speculation over Mr. Kaswan’s next political move, the Congress seems to be offering a place in the party to him. Bikaner District Congress Committee president Bishnaram Siyag said that if Mr. Kaswan had opted to align with the Congress, his victory would be a “foregone conclusion”.
The Jat community, comprising 15% of the population in Rajasthan, is unhappy with the BJP over the suppression of the farmers’ agitation, as most farmers’ groups and unions are led by Jats. They are also irked over the handling of the women wrestlers’ protest by the Union government last year.
Both Mr. Kaswan and his father are considered close to senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. They had organised a grand birthday celebration of Ms. Raje, who turned 70, at Salasar Balaji Dham in Churu district on March 4, 2023 as a show of strength to convey to the central leadership that she had a mass following and was the most popular leader of the party.
