The opposition Bhartiya Janta Party is set to pick its leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly on January 13, almost a month after the Rajasthan Assembly election results were announced. The Rajasthan poll results were announced on December 11 which saw Congress coming back to power and unseated the incumbent Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP.
BJP State Chief Madan Lal Saini said the party’s national observer and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will hold a meeting with the newly elected legislators on Sunday.
On January 3, BJP Parliamentary Board appointed Party Senior Leader Arun Jaitley and Leader Avinash Rai Khanna as the observers to overlook election of legislature leaders. BJP appoints Jaitley, Rajnath, Thawarchand as Observers to overlook election of legislative leaders in 3 States
After former chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s recent appointment as the party’s national vice president, the frontrunners for the post seems to be former home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, former parliamentary affairs minister Rajendra Rathore and former assembly speaker Kailash.
Political observers said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has advised the BJP national leadership against giving the post to Raje, saying this would be detrimental to the party’s prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. BJP throws weight before the 2019 general elections, assigns Vasundhara, Shivraj, and Raman National roles
The BJP had on December 11 won 73 seats out of the 199 where elections were held last month, losing out to the Congress which formed the government after winning 99 seats after getting support from others including BSP.
Party leaders said an effective opposition in the state assembly will strengthen the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prospects in the parliamentary elections.
The Budget session of the state assembly is likely to be held in February.
The politics in the state revolved around Raje for the last 15 years. Her appointment at the party’s central leadership now is being seen as an end of that phase.