Vasundhara to meet Amit Shah to discuss new Rajasthan BJP chief

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is likely to meet BJP President Amit Shah here on Thursday to sort out the differences over appointment of the new state BJP chief.

According to sources in BJP, Shah wants Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to be appointed as state BJP chief while Raje is not in his favour.

The new state BJP chief will replace Ashok Parnami, who resigned from his post on last Wednesday.

Sources said that Raje is throwing her weight behind her colleagues in state council of ministers Arun Chaturvedi although the central leadership was in favour of Shekhawat. Chaturvedi is considered close to RSS.

The development comes in wake of Shah's meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur.

The BJP government in Rajasthan has been facing the ire of the Rajput community and its attept to appoint Shekhawat, a Rajput, is seen as an attempt to pacify the community.

The decision to appoint a new party chief has been made keeping in mind the assembly polls slated for later in 2018.

In recent bypolls in Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha constituencies and the Mandalgarh Assembly segment, the BJP had suffered a jolt as the voters of these constituencies elected Congress candidates.

--IANS

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