Madan and Bhajan's Pair Now a Hit in Rajasthan!

Rajasthan has now found a winning pair in Madan and Bhajan. Over the past seven months, both leaders have worked in close coordination, contributing significantly to the party's success. After their leadership led to victories in the Assembly by-elections, their partnership gained more trust from the top leadership. Based on this confidence, and with upcoming local body and Panchayati Raj elections in mind, the 70-year-old Rajya Sabha MP from Pali district in western Rajasthan, Madan Rathore, has once again been appointed as the state president of Rajasthan BJP.

On Saturday, BJP's election in-charge for Rajasthan and former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani officially announced Madan Rathore’s appointment in Jaipur. On this occasion, the names of 25 members for the National Council from Rajasthan were also revealed. The announcement was made in the presence of Rajasthan BJP in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy CM Diya Kumari, Premchand Baidwar, former CM Vasundhara Raje, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and other leaders. 

Madan Rathore was appointed as Rajasthan BJP’s state president last year in July, replacing MP C.P. Joshi.

As part of BJP's organizational elections in Rajasthan, no other leader applied for the president's position. In support of Rathore’s nomination, five prominent leaders, including CM Bhajan Lal Sharma, former CM Vasundhara Raje, former state president Arun Chaturvedi, City District President Amit Goyal, and others, submitted proposals. The nomination process concluded by 4:30 PM on Friday, after which the nominations were examined. Vijay Rupani confirmed that only Madan Rathore's nomination had been received, making his election as state president unanimous.

CM Bhajan Lal Sharma congratulated Madan Rathore on being re-elected as state president. He also congratulated the 25 newly announced members of the National Council. He praised Rathore for his work in the past seven months and expressed confidence that under his leadership, BJP will continue to progress in Rajasthan. Sharma emphasized the importance of coordination between power and organization, affirming that the party would perform better with Rathore’s leadership.

Sharma also highlighted the party's commitment to fulfilling promises made to the public. He mentioned that over 50-55 commitments from their election manifesto had already been fulfilled in the past year, and the government plans to provide one lakh jobs to youth by July. He pointed out the Congress government’s failure in providing adequate electricity during their five years in power.

Former CM Vasundhara Raje used the occasion to send a message of unity within the party, urging "Unite, No Group, One Voice," signaling the top leadership’s desire to keep factionalism at bay within the state leadership.

Radha Mohan Das Agarwal praised Madan Rathore for his leadership in the last seven months and said that no one else filed a nomination for the president's post because of his widespread popularity. He also revealed that three party leaders had initially expressed interest in running for the position but ultimately backed out without filing nominations.

Agarwal also emphasized the need for the party to stay prepared for upcoming Panchayat elections, ensuring strong coordination. He assured that the party must work hard to ensure that Rajasthan remains a stronghold of BJP, referring to the party’s unity and the support of key leaders like Vasundhara Raje and others.

The newly announced members of the National Council include former CM Vasundhara Raje, both Deputy CMs Diya Kumari and Premchand Baidwar, former BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi, Ashok Parnami, Satish Poonia, MP C.P. Joshi, former Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, and several other prominent leaders.

It remains to be seen how this new team will work to strengthen BJP in Rajasthan, which is the largest state geographically in India, and how they will contribute to the party's development, especially in the upcoming local body and Panchayati Raj elections. The responsibility for ensuring continued success in these elections will rest on the shoulders of newly elected state president Madan Rathore and CM Bhajan Lal Sharma. The question now is whether the BJP’s success in the Assembly by-elections will continue in the upcoming local body and Panchayati Raj elections.