BJP to follow MP example in Rajasthan, To filed union ministers, MPs in assembly poll

After deciding to field union ministers and MPs in the forthcoming assembly poll in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP will be following the same example in Rajasthan also, where assembly poll is scheduled to take place in November/December this year.

A hint to this effect was dropped after a meeting between union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J. P. Nadda and senior leaders of the state party unit at Jaipur on Wednesday evening.

According to the sources, two union ministers from Rajasthan Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal may be asked to contest the assembly poll.

The decision follows the naming of three Union ministers and four other MPs in its second list of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh polls, also due by the year end.

Shah and Nadda, who arrived in Jaipur on Wednesday evening, held a closed door meeting of the Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) core committee members.

Sources said Shah and Nadda first held a meeting with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje that lasted around 15 minutes. It was followed by their meeting with senior leaders during which they reportedly discussed constituencies and election strategy. Feedback on four Parivartan yatras that concluded recently were also taken.

Nadda and Shah held next round of meeting with party's national general secretary (org) BL Santosh, Prahlad Joshi, Nitin Patel, and Arun Singh, with Kuldeep Vishnoi and Vijaya Rahatkar also present, party sources said.

"It was closely assessed in which constituencies the party is weak and what strategy is required to ensure win there. Detailed discussions on categories of seats, where the party has been winning, or losing, for the last three elections.

It remains to be seen if the experiment turns out to be fruitful.