Rajasthan election 2023: Will BJP turn to another 'Yogi' to run Rajasthan? Here are probable candidates for CM post

Going by the early leads on Sunday, it is somewhat clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress in the desert state. In Rajasthan, the BJP is also making substantial gains, leading in 115 seats, which overshadows the Congress's lead in 69 seats. The saffron party contested the polls without a chief ministerial candidate in the fray. Now comes the big question, who will lead this time?

When it comes to the leadership battle in the state, the name of Baba Balak Nath, who is leading in his constituency Tijara, tops the list. Balak Nath, known as 'Yogi of Rajasthan', is also a Member of Parliament (MP) from Alwar Lok Sabha constituency. He is contesting against Congress's Imran Khan.

Balak Nath, who heads the Baba Mastnath Math in Rohtak, is considered one of the firebrand leaders of the BJP and has been in the headlines due to his stance on the Hindutva agenda.
 
Others in the race are Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, 56, and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Shekhawat, who is known to be closer to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, gained significance in the state after he defeated Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Jodhpur.

Shekhawat's appointment as BJP party chief in the state was opposed by former CM Vasundhara Raje. In the run-up to the 2023 polls, Shekhawat was instrumental in the defection of Rameshwar Dadhich, a close aide to Gehlot, to the BJP.

On the other hand, Meghwal, a former bureaucrat, is one of the Dalit faces in Rajasthan. Meghal is present law minister at the Centre, who replaced Kiren Rijiju.

No one can do away with the name of two-time chief minister Vasundhara Raje, 70. Raje, the first woman chief minister of Rajasthan, has been the BJP’s face in Rajasthan for the last two decades. She is also a five-time Parliament member for the BJP.

After the BJP’s defeat in the 2018 polls, Raje distanced herself from the party and was absent from its meetings and programmes. Following this, the BJP top leaders opted for collective leadership in the state ahead of the elections this year.

But Raje got some ground back before the elections. Raje’s supporters were favoured as candidates. The BJP gave tickets to over 40 of her supporters, following which Raje addressed rallies across the state.

In her earlier campaigns this time, Raje, who is still the party vice-president, stuck to the development agenda, giving the Hindutva point a miss. Which wa in contrast of the line of campaign followed by current leadership.

However, closer to the elections, Raje jumped on the pro-Hindutva wagon and targeted the Gehlot-led government and accused the Congress of practising “appeasement politics”.

In 2023, Raje won the Jhalrapatan assembly seat by 53,193 votes against her Congress rival Ramlal Chouhan, according to the Election Commission website. She secured 1,38,831 votes, while Chouhan got 85,638.

Also read: Election Result 2023 Live: Final results of Rajasthan polls expected soon; BJP leads in 111 seats

Also read: Chhattisgarh Election Result 2023: BJP races ahead of Congress in a major blow to Bhupesh Baghel