Old BJP hands sidelined in Rajasthan, new-look unit feels Lok Sabha poll result aftershocks

A month after the Lok Sabha results were announced, senior BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena announced his resignation as Cabinet minister from the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Rajasthan government.

Kirodi Lal said he was keeping his word, having announced in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections that he would resign if the BJP lost any of the seven eastern Rajasthan seats whose charge was assigned to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP ended up losing four of those: Dausa, Tonk–Sawai Madhopur, Karauli-Dholpur and Bharatpur.

Kirodi Lal’s resignation is yet to be accepted, with BJP president J P Nadda summoning him to Delhi. But, this has further strengthened the impression that there is more than meets the eye to his move.

Some believe Kirodi Lal is still sulking over the BJP denying his brother Jagmohan Meena the Dausa Lok Sabha seat ticket, picking instead Kanhaiya Lal Meena, who lost. The Congress too had waded in at the time, with former health minister Parsadi Lal saying that even his own party would have been happy fielding Jagmohan.

After the polls, the BJP did not just pick a Chief Minister but also two Deputy CMs junior to Kirodi Lal in both age and the party. Apart from being a six-time MLA, Kirodi Lal is a two-term Lok Sabha MP and one-time Rajya MP.

Then, in the Cabinet, Kirodi Lal got the Agriculture department, but the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department – traditionally given to the same minister – was divided between him and Madan Dilawar.

However, BJP insiders say, Kirodi Lal may not find the party very accommodating. While he is one of the axes of tribal politics in Rajasthan, the other being Bharat Adivasi Party MP Rajkumar Roat, Kirodi Lal was never a choice for the top post. In fact, it is his