Jaipur: Infighting in the ruling BJP has intensified in the aftermath of its defeat to Congress in the Anta bypoll. For one, seven-time party MLA Pratap Singh Singhvi has publicly blamed former CM Vasundhara Raje and the party leadership for the loss.
The Chhabra MLA, senior-most in the Hadoti region, also said Sunday he abstained from campaigning because he was not invited to any election event, that seniors were sidelined, and that BJP's top leadership ignored ground-level realities, resulting in the party's loss.
Speaking to TOI, Singhvi said, "It is nothing less than an insult and humiliation that a leader who has been consistently winning elections was left out of the list of star campaigner, while first-time MLAs were given prominence. Though I was later put on the election management committee, I was neither called, nor assigned any responsibility."
Singhvi added that BJP's bypoll campaigning lacked collective effort, adding that a united approach could have turned the result on its head.
BJP's Morpal Suman was defeated by Congress' Pramod Jain Bhaya in the Anta bypolls, the results of which were declared on Nov 14.
Singhvi said general category voters consolidated behind Cong's Bhaya after independent candidate Naresh Meena ran a "hostile campaign" against BJP. "We failed to mobilise experienced grassroots leaders to channel this sentiment," he added. While acknowledging that differences are natural "in any healthy party", Singhvi, however, said they must not spill to organisational functioning.
In a sharply worded Nov 7 letter to BJP national president JP Nadda, Singhvi also condemned what he said was repeated "mistreatment", alleging his offer of ground support was ignored, demoralising cadres and weakening the party machinery in Anta. He said not even informed of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's visit to Anta on Nov 6.
Singhvi said he has now sought Nadda's guidance on the way forward.
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