BJP leader Rajendra Rathore appointed Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan

Rathore, 68, a seven-time MLA and a former Minister, was earlier the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday appointed Churu MLA Rajendra Rathore as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, filling up the post which was lying vacant since the appointment of former LoP Gulab Chand Kataria as the Assam Governor on February 12. The decision was taken unanimously at a BJP legislature party meeting at the party’s State headquarters here.

Former BJP State president Satish Poonia was appointed the Deputy Leader of Opposition in a move seen as a “balancing act”, giving weightage to all the factions in the Opposition party. In a surprise move, Mr. Poonia, Amber MLA, had been replaced by Chittorgarh MP C.P. Joshi as the party’s State unit chief on March 23.

Mr. Rathore, 68, a seven-time MLA and a former Minister, was earlier the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. He is considered to be an expert in floor management in the House and a vocal Rajput leader who has been attacking the Congress government on a number of issues. He had recently filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Rajasthan High Court on resignation by 81 Congress MLAs after a failed CLP meeting in September last year, on which a breach of privilege motion was moved against him.

Former Assembly Speaker Kailash Meghwal left the legislature party meeting shortly after it began, but returned after being persuaded by senior leaders. Senior leaders Vasundhara Raje, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arun Singh, Vijaya Rahatkar and Chandrashekhar were present when the announcement was made.

A large number of Mr. Rathore’s supporters from Churu district celebrated the announcement and raised slogans in his support at the party headquarters. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Rathore said he would serve the party as a grassroots worker and take forward the legacy of Mr. Kataria, while opposing the “anti-people policies” of the ruling Congress in the run-up to this year’s Assembly election.

Mr. Rathore’s appointment has been perceived as a rebuff to the party’s camp led by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, as he said on multiple occasions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be the face of the BJP in the Assembly poll. The party’s faction supporting Ms. Raje wants her to be projected as the Chief Ministerial face.

The BJP has also tried to consolidate the Rajput vote bank in the State with Mr. Rathore’s appointment. The displeasure of Rajputs was one of the major reasons for the BJP’s defeat in the 2018 Assembly election, as the community had accused the party of ignoring the issues, including reservation in jobs and education, crucial for it.