Jaipur, (Samajweekly) A video showing former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje being purportedly “shocked” before reading the name of Bhajanlal Sharma as the news CM is going viral.
Several netizens took to X to comment on Vasundhara Raje’s expression upon opening the chit, saying she looked “shocked” on reading the name on it.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was deputed as an observer, is also seen in the video, purportedly laughing after the chit is opened.
This video is trending as there was curiosity about what post Vasundhara Raje get this time. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sprung a surprise on Tuesday by declaring first-time MLA Bhajanlal Sharma as the Chief Minister.
The announcement took everyone by surprise, as Vasundhara Raje, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kirodi Lal Meena and even Baba Balaknath were considered front-runners for the post.
However, many hints were given earlier which signified that Vasundhara Raje was being sidelined by the party leadership. She also kept pressuring the leadership till the last minute but to no avail.
In fact, the first indication was given of her being sidelined when Satish Poonia was appointed as state BJP President in 2019. Om Mathur was the state chief during her first term as CM, but after him and before the appointment of Poonia, the post was filled only on the advice of Vasundhara Raje. After Mathur’s exit in 2009, be it Arun Chaturvedi or Ashok Parnami, it was always Vasundhara Raje’s choice.
Poonia completed his tenure and a few months before the elections, C.P. Joshi was made the President without taking her opinion. It was from here that the script to sideline Vasundhara Raje was written and next, the election campaign strategy was prepared without involving her.
Vasundhara Raje was continuously asking questions from the high command since July-August regarding her role during the elections, and camped in Delhi several times to convey her message. But till the end, the high command kept her away from the election strategy.
She was involved in the meetings regarding ticket distribution. However, some of her loyalists were given ticket but faces like Parnami, and Yoonus Khan, who were counted among Raje’s staunch supporters, were kept away.
According to party sources, Raje was trying to become the third-time Chief Minister, but it did not work. The sources told IANS that she should go along with the decisions of the high command, then the BJP high command will also benefit from her long experience in politics and her political future will be secure. The party will definitely field her in the Lok Sabha polls, said a senior leader.
