BJP out to poach Jat leaders from Congress

JAIPUR: Already facing a shortage of established Jat leaders in the state, the Rajasthan BJP is now facing a major crisis having lost two prominent leaders from the community in a span of three months.

With two Jat leaders, former Union minister Sanwar Lal Jat and former state minister Dr

Digamber Singh

, passing away in quick succession, the state BJP has been almost completely deprived of recognizable faces from the prominent community, who had followers across the state. Both the leaders were known to be chief minister Raje loyalists.

The state BJP is looking for state-level Jat leaders, a crisis faced by the ruling party for quite some time now. This is one of the reasons why the BJP, which in the past had welcomed leaders like Dr

Hari Singh

and Col. Sona Ram from the Congress, is once again looking to do the same.

According to sources, all attempts are being made by the ruling party to woo prominent Congress Jat leader Ramchandra Chaudhary from Ajmer to fill the vacuum created by the death of Sanwar Lal Jat. The BJP has set eyes on poaching some Congress leaders from the community in the coming days as it had done earlier also before polls, according to sources.

However, it is a mixed bag of Congress leaders who have switched over to the saffron party. A former Congress minister Dr Hari Singh, who had joined the saffron party before the last assembly polls with much fanfare, had left the party in a huff a few years later alleging that the BJP had neglected him after it won a historic number of 162 MLAs to the assembly.

Similarly, Col. Sona Ram, who switched from the Congress to BJP before the last parliamentary election, got a ticket from

Barmer

and now is an MP.

According to sources, Chaudhary from Ajmer might be able to fill the vacuum created by the death of Sanwar Lal Jat. He is now the chairman of the Ajmer Dairy Federation. Recently, he organized a function in Ajmer on the auspices of the dairy federation where chief minister Vasundhara Raje was the chief guest. “Raje was said to be impressed with the organizational prowess of Chaudhary at the meeting which was attended by a massive crowd. However, that does not mean the party will give a ticket to him in the bypoll,” according to local political observer Musafar Bharti.

His services could be used by Raje to win the parliamentary bypoll (which is said to be tough) to be held soon in Ajmer which was represented by Sanwar Lal Jat. Chaudhary is said to have fell out with Congress chief Sachin Pilot while he contested the first Parliamentary election from Ajmer. He has, reportedly, indirectly helped Sanwar Lal Jat’s win from the Ajmer parliamentary seat last time to settle scores with Pilot.