Vasundhara Raje Snubbed? BJP To Fight Rajasthan Polls In PM Modi's Name
NDTV
That the announcment came more than one year ahead of the next elections and the state BJP chief also stressed how the party had cultivated a "next generation" of leadership, fanned doubts about whether it was sending a message to Vasundhara Raje.
The BJP will fight next year's Rajasthan elections with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its face, state unit chief Satish Poonia announced on Saturday, in what could be seen as a fresh snub to former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
"Sometimes faces are projected, sometimes they are not. The BJP will fight the upcoming elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Uttar Pradesh in 2017 was not contested under Yogi Adityanath, yet we won," Mr Poonia announced on Day 2 of a three-day BJP strategy meeting in Jaipur.
That the statement came more than one year ahead of the next elections and the state BJP chief also stressed how the party had cultivated a "next generation" of leadership, fanned doubts about whether it was a message to Ms Raje, its biggest crowd-puller in the state.
Ms Raje's ties with the central leadership of the BJP as well as Mr Poonia have been the subject of much speculation, although there have been efforts on both sides to play down reports of any strain.