The BJP’s internal organizational polls in Rajasthan face significant delays due to infighting among party factions over the selection of mandal presidents. One-third of these positions remain vacant as various groups vie to have their loyalists chosen, creating a bottleneck in the electoral process.

The delays have disrupted the timeline for electing district committee chiefs and the state party president. Under BJP rules, at least 50% of district presidents must be elected before the state president can be chosen, and district presidents can only be selected after 50% of mandal presidents are appointed.

The central BJP leadership has instructed the Rajasthan unit to expedite the process. First, all mandal president appointments will be completed, followed by district presidents. The state presidential election was initially planned for December 30. Mandal and district committees are expected to be in place by November 30 and December 15, respectively.

BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh and Rajasthan in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal have expressed dissatisfaction over the delays. During his visit to Jaipur, Agarwal met state president Madan Rathore and election in-charge Narayan Panchariya to review the situation and accelerate the process. Similarly, Santhosh visited Jaipur on January 15, urging state leaders to conclude the mandal elections promptly.

Unlike the usual “consensus” approach in BJP organizational elections, Rajasthan has witnessed intense factionalism. Senior leaders, MPs, and MLAs are pushing for their preferred candidates to secure influence and prevent challenges to their authority.

In Jaipur Civil Lines, MLA Gopal Sharma and former state party president Arun Chaturvedi are reportedly at odds over the local mandal president’s selection. In Bagru, MLA Kailash Verma faces opposition from within the party over his candidate. In Dholpur, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s loyalists are encountering resistance from rival factions.

The stakes are high for these positions, as they are seen as stepping stones for ambitious leaders within the party. Rajasthan has over 51,000 booth committees, each managed by a mandal president overseeing 40-70 booth panels. Out of 1,135 mandal president positions, only 750 have been filled, further delaying the election of 44 district presidents.

BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, who leads the party’s appeal committee for mandal elections, denied reports of serious factional disputes. “This is part of our democratic process. While it takes time, we are on track to complete manual elections in January and proceed with the next steps,” he said.

Sources within the party suggest that Madan Rathore is likely to remain the state BJP president for a second term. A Rajya Sabha MP and former MLA, Rathore, who belongs to the OBC community, is seen as a leader with strong ties to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and the central leadership. “Unless the high command decides otherwise, Rathore is expected to continue in his role,” said a senior party insider.

The delays have underscored the challenges of managing factionalism while maintaining a democratic process within the party, as the BJP seeks to solidify its organizational structure ahead of the upcoming electoral cycle.