BJP out to woo Rajputs to make a turnaround in Rajasthan, inducts 2 stalwarts from community

Jaipur: In a bid to woo the Rajput community, the BJP inducted two stalwarts from the community into the party fold in New Delhi today. 

The party inducted Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, a descendant of Maharana Pratap, who belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs and is highly revered for his military resistance against the Mughals. 

Polo player Bhavani Singh Kalvi, who is the son of late Lokendra Singh Kalvi, who headed the Karni Sena outfit, was also welcomed into the BJP fold.  

The enrolment of these two faces into the BJP just before the announcement of the second list, is perhaps an indication of the importance of Rajputs votes for the party. 

The function in Delhi was attended by another Rajput royal, erstwhile princess of Jaipur  and also Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, BJP state president C P Joshi, Union minister and Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal and national general secretary and Rajasthan incharge Arun Singh.

Vishvaraj Singh is the son of Mahendra Singh Mewar, who was elected as BJP’s Chittorgarh MP in 1989 with a record margin of 190,000 votes. The present Maharana of Udaipur, Arvind Singh Mewar is Vishvaraj’s uncle. 

Polo player Bhavani Singh Kalvi, from Kalvi village in Nagaur district, whose father helmed the Karni Sena, the outfit which is known for upholding the interests of Rajputs, said at the media briefing that with his background in polo, he would be a worthy team player of BJP.  Interestingly Karni Sena had indulged in violent protests against the screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s big budget film Padmavati, saying the movie insulted their queen who belonged to their community.  

The BJP is trying woo the Rajput community with these two entries.  Rajputs form at least 10 per cent of the population. And the community plays a decisive role in over 30 Assembly seats. 

Rajputs , who have been traditional BJP voters, turned away in 2018.

Their resentment began in 2014 when former Union minister and BJP leader Jaswant Singh was denied a ticket from the Barmer parliamentary constituency. 

In 2016, the alleged fake encounter of history sheet Chatur Singh in Jaisalmer, led to protests that spilled over to streets. 

In 2017, their anger aggravated with the encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh. Violent protests went on for days after the death of Anandpal Singh. 

The Rajput community felt they were not being given their due prominence.

More so in 2018, after BJP’s debacle in the Assembly elections, Raje did not let Jodhpur MP and union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, again a Rajput,  become the state BJP president. 

In the 2018 Assembly polls, BJP gave 26 seats to Rajputs, and only 10 were able to win. Congress gave 15 seats to Rajputs and seven of them managed to win.

Also, the induction of Vishvaraj Singh is perhaps a move to fill up the vacuum created by Gulab Chand Kataria, who has been made the governor of Assam. A known Rajput royal face is specifically targeted at the Rajput community in Mewar region, which still looks up to the royalty.