 "Gajendra Singh Shekhawat")
Amidst speculation about his candidacy in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has clarified that he is not in the race for the chief minister's post while speaking with PTI. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not officially named a chief ministerial candidate in the Congress-run state. However, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Shekhawat were considered potential contenders if the BJP secured a victory.
In the BJP's first list of 41 candidates for the assembly elections scheduled on November 25, seven Members of Parliament had been nominated, which raised questions on whether Shekhawat might contest the state elections, potentially from Jodhpur's Sardarpura assembly constituency, currently held by Congress' Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Shekhawat clarified that no decision has been made yet, and he will abide by the party leadership's decision.
"I am not in any kind of race. I only do the work my leadership and the organisation gives me to do. I have no aspiration or desire other than this," he said.
Regarding the chief minister's post, Shekhawat stated that the BJP legislature party will decide, which the party's parliamentary board will then validate. He also added that former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was a senior leader and respected by all party members.
Addressing concerns about factionalism within the party, Shekhawat affirmed that there are no factions and every member is a dedicated party worker. He explained that ticket allocation decisions are made based on the party's suitability assessment for each candidate. Disgruntled ticket seekers protesting the allocations were described by Shekhawat as premature since only 20 per cent of the seats have been announced so far.
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He also predicted that the BJP will cross its record 2013 tally of 163 seats in the 200-member Rajasthan House this time.
Shekhawat also commented on the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam, accusing Chief Minister Gehlot of misusing state police and targeting him due to his son's defeat in Jodhpur during the last Lok Sabha elections. He criticised Gehlot's handling of the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), alleging that the Chief Minister was more interested in politics than the project's actual implementation. Shekhawat claimed that the BJP government plans to integrate the ERCP into the river interlinking project, emphasising the failure of the Gehlot government on various fronts, including agriculture, youth employment, law and order, and corruption.
He stressed the BJP's commitment to making Rajasthan a significant contributor to the country's growth.
The Rajasthan state Assembly elections will be held on Saturday, November 25. The Rajasthan Assembly has 200 constituencies up for elections. The Congress and the BJP have traditionally dominated the state since its formation. Congress won the last elections in 2018, securing 101 seats. The Congress party is yet to release its candidate list for the state polls.
