With a handful of days left for the elections, Congress suffered a huge drawback in Rajasthan. This is in light of the fact that BJP and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) have announced their alliance to contest in the state together. RLP is headed by MLA and former BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal. The alliance has been sealed for one seat and Beniwal, declaring his party to be a part of NDA will contest from Nagaur seat.
हमने तय किया है कि आरएलपी, एनडीए का एक घटक होगा। हनुमान बेनीवाल जी आगामी लोकसभा चुनाव में हमारे साथ हैं। राजस्थान में हम एक-दूसरे की पूरी मदद करेंगे- श्री @MPMadanSaini, प्रदेशाध्यक्ष pic.twitter.com/mo9uejka8N
— BJP Rajasthan (@BJP4Rajasthan) April 4, 2019
The alliance was sealed after the jat leader arrived at the BJP office in Jaipur on Thursday morning and met the saffron party’s Rajasthan election in charge Prakash Javadekar. Rajasthan has 25 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP will contest on 24 and the RLP on one seat.
Beniwal had formed his own party ahead of the 2018 elections. Surprisingly, in a short while, the party gained popularity and won three seats, including one by Beniwal himself. This was largely due to Beniwal’s appeal among Jats in the region and his popularity as a farmer leader. He is currently a sitting legislator from Khinvsar in Nagaur district.
This development comes is a major blow for the Congress as the grand old party had earlier tried to have Beniwal join its camp, but they failed to reach an understanding. The RLP leader is believed to have asked for seven seats from the Congress, a demand Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot denied. Though it is speculated that Gehlot was ready to offer three seats to Beniwal. The Congress has fielded former MP Jyoti Mirdha in Nagaur.
Beniwal said, “I will fight the election from Nagaur with support from the BJP. I will also campaign across the country for the party.” Further to this, he added, “My roots have been in the BJP and, therefore, I am more comfortable with the BJP. I took the decision as my workers were in support of this alliance.”
This alliance ahead of the polls will prove to be very significant for BJP in the state. Back in 2014, BJP had swept all the seats in Rajasthan and despite having lost the assembly polls in the state in December, the party still remains strong. This is largely due to the fact the PM Modi is a very popular face in the state and garners support from the people. Beniwal is a strong Jat leader and in a state where Jats hold influence over 10 districts, this is very crucial. This influence over the community will be pivotal for the NDA to retain power.