Churu BJP MP from Rajasthan outbursts on 'X' after ticket denial, may join Congress

Jaipur: The political fallout after BJP’s ticket distribution for 15 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan is discernible with current Churu MP Rahul Kaswan’s emotional outpouring on 'X' today amidst clear indications that he may cross over to the Opposition camp or contest as an Independent.

Two-time MP Rahul Kaswan, 47, from Churu, who has been denied a ticket this time following allegations that he may have had some hand in the defeat of BJP senior leader Rajendra Rathore from Taranagar Assembly in December, today outpoured his pain on his X handle, akin to Delhi leader Dr Harshvardhan, who has quit politics on being refused the Chandni Chowk ticket.

He questioned his fault on X as he asked whether there were doubts about his honesty, hard-work, dedication or whether he was tainted.

He is said to have worked hard for the people of his constituency Churu and have started and monitored the progress of all of the Prime Minister’s schemes.

Yesterday, he asked his supporters to be restrained and watch this space as he would be in their midst again, the information of which would be given to them beforehand.

BJP has given ticket to paralympian javelin thrower Devendra Jhajhariya, who also hails from Churu.

Sources say Congress has already sent feelers to Kaswan. Bikaner Congress district head Bishnaram Siyag shared on social media that if Kaswan aligns with the Congress, his win is 100 per cent sure. Sources are also saying he may contest as an Independent.

Kaswan, a Jat, holds considerable influence in the community that forms at least 15 per cent of the total population of Rajasthan and a vote share of 15 per cent.

His father Ram Singh Kaswan, was a three-time MP from Churu in the years 1999, 2004, 2009.

BJP’s offer to give a ticket to young Rahul in 2014 had surprised many. In the 2019 elections, Rahul had garnered 59.59 per cent votes while in 2014 he had acquired 33.97 per cent votes.

Jats are a dominant community in Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar ie the Shekhawati belt of Rajasthan.

Political analyst Narayan Bareth told DH that Jats are miffed with the BJP after the suppression of the Kisan Andolan, where most farmer organisations and unions are led by Jats. The handling of the women wrestlers’ protest also irked the Jats.

“In the desert state, Jats consider Rajputs their traditional rivals and probably the alleged sabotage of Rajendra Rathore’s election was because of the caste rivalry between Rajputs and Jats. Rathore is a Rajput while Kaswan is a Jat. Jats also allege that this new BJP government is a Brahmin-Rajput led government. There are only four Jat ministers and 14 Jat BJP MLAs in the House. Only four Jats could win out of the 17 seats in the Jat-dominated Shekhawati belt. So Kaswan’s joining Congress or standing as an Independent is definitely going to have repercussions in the seat.”

In Nagaur, Jyoti Mirdha who is a Congress crossover leader and a Jat, has been given the ticket despite losing her Assembly seat to her uncle Harendra Mirdha in December 2023. She was Congress MP from the same seat in 2009. But was defeated later in MP elections. Although she hails from the influential Mirdha family of Nagaur and is the granddaughter of one of the tallest Jat leaders Nathuram Mirdha, her candidature is again causing heartburn in the BJP district unit as she joined BJP just before the Assembly elections.

“BJP could not find any other credible candidate from Nagaur and that is why they had to fall back on Jyoti,” says Bareth.

Hanuman Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantarik Party (RLP), who is the current MP of Nagaur is the one of the most influential Jat leaders in the region but could manage to win only his seat Khimsvar in the Assembly elections, losing all other seats on which the party contested. Beniwal won the 2019 election with BJP support but broke away from BJP after the farmer agitation. If Congress and RLP tie-up this time, they may give a tough fight to Jyoti.