Protests by BJP leaders continue over party ticket allotment in Rajasthan

Dissident leaders and supporters protested in Rajsamand, Sriganganagar, Udaipur, and Bikaner ahead of the state Assembly elections

Protests by disgruntled BJP leaders and their supporters erupted in several districts of Rajasthan over the denial of party tickets for the assembly polls on Monday. Dissident leaders and supporters protested in Rajsamand, Sriganganagar, Udaipur, and Bikaner. Similar protests occurred in Chittorgarh, Kota, Jaipur, Alwar, and Bundi.

Local leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the party's candidate selection and threatened to contest as independent candidates if their demands were unmet.

On Sunday, a group of BJP workers in Rajasthan reportedly vandalised the party office over ticket allotment for upcoming state Assembly elections after the second list of 83 candidates was announced. BJP has released two lists of candidates for 124 out of 200 seats in the state.

 

Tensions between the party leaders and its workers have been ongoing since the first list of candidates was released for Rajasthan. At least seven ticket seekers or their supporters expressed dissatisfaction after not being included in the first list of 41 candidates. The BJP had formed an 11-member committee headed by Union Minister Kailash Chaudhary to address the matter after protests erupted in several constituencies in early October.

A party requires 101 seats to form the government in Rajasthan. The last elections were held in 2018, when Congress formed the government with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and independent candidates.

The Rajasthan Assembly election is scheduled for November 25. The counting of votes for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram, will be done on December 3.

Find all Rajasthan state Assembly election updates here.

(With agency inputs)