Will Vasundhara Raje return as Rajasthan Chief Minister?

As counting for votes for assembly elections in four key states goes on, BJP looks all set to wrest power from the incumbent Ashok Gehlot led Congress government. But the saffron party faces a dilemma to choose the CM face. Vasundhara Raje is believed to have been alienated from the BJP and has been conspicuous with her absence at party meetings.

Hyderabad: As counting for the assembly elections in four key states goes on, the BJP is riding high on the anti-incumbency wave in Rajasthan as it looks set to oust the Ashok Gehlot led Congress government in the state. With the curiosity whether Congress will become the first incumbent party to return to power in the history of Rajasthan almost settled, the million dollar question now remains whether BJP stalwart Vasundhara Raje will return as the new Chief Minister.

Raje's fate has been hanging in balance for quite some time now as she has distanced herself from party meetings since her rival leaders took over the party affairs in the state. This was evident in the run-up to the Rajasthan assembly election as well as the BJP did not name a chief ministerial face during its campaigning.

With Raje reportedly winning the Jhalrapatan assembly constituency against Congress's Ramlal, the BJP stalwart's clout seems to be intact within the BJP as the saffron party looks set to form the next government in Rajasthan.

Will Vasundhara Raje return as Rajasthan Chief Minister? The question whether the BJP will announce Vasundhara Raje as the Chief Ministerial candidate if it wins Rajasthan, seems to have a complex answer. It is believed that if the BJP gets a clear majority in the assembly elections, Raje could well be out of the CM race as the party high command would dictate terms in such a scenario.

However, if the saffron party stops short of a clear majority, Raje will likely strike a deal with the high command and return as the Chief Minister in lieu of the support of independents seen loyal to her.

Vasundhara Raje's 'alienation' from BJP: The former Chief Minister has been conspicuous with her absence at BJP meetings in the state of late. The BJP not announcing Raje as the chief ministerial face in the run-up to the assembly elections further widened the perceived rift. It is believed that the alienation is partly because Raje steered clear of the BJP's Hindutva plank and sticking to her development, which agitated the central BJP leadership.

Raje's shift to Hindutva plank: Raje is believed to have adopted a pro-Hindutva agenda in a bid to placate the central leadership. In fact, the former Chief Minister made several temple visits in the run up to the Rajasthan elections and on the eve of counting.

BJP's dilemma: The BJP, which looks set to wrest power from the incumbent Ashok Gehlot led Congress government in Rajasthan now faces the dilemma to choose among Vasundhara Raje and two more contenders- Mahant Balaknath Yogi and union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for the chief minister post.