BJP to Pull the Plug on Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma
Internal murmurs have grown louder, with the party leadership torn between executing a leadership change or doling out a symbolic warning and letting the Chief Minister continue

New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing struggle within the BJP to pick the party's next president, a move is afoot to pull the plug on Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. As whispers of discontent within the party ranks grow, sources revealed that backchannel parleys with state leaders were already underway to identify a potential replacement.
This might not be an isolated turbulence. In Delhi's saffron corridors, the pressure is mounting to act decisively not just in Rajasthan but also in a key hill state where the Chief Minister's position hangs by a thread. Internal murmurs have grown louder, with the party leadership torn between executing a leadership change or doling out a symbolic warning and letting the Chief Minister continue.
As for Rajasthan, sources revealed that the central leadership was "far from satisfied" with Sharma's performance. While the next Assembly elections are still three years away, mounting pressure from within the party has triggered serious conversations about a change at the top. The state government's alleged "failure" to deliver on basic infrastructure, particularly the worsening drinking water crisis, is becoming a "liability".
What has added fuel to the fire is the first open challenge came from none other than former CM Vasundhara Raje. She launched a scathing attack on the state leadership over the worsening water crisis in the desert state.
Taking to social media, Raje lashed out, saying, "Do only the officers feel thirsty? Does the public not feel the same? While the people suffer in this scorching summer due to lack of water, the officers appear indifferent. Water should reach the lips of the people, not remain confined to paper. The officers are asleep while the public cries. I will not let this continue."
Following Raje's outbursts, the Chief Minister reportedly asked officials to complete pending waterworks.
Besides Raje, Sharma is also getting nailed by a section of rightwing leaning publications. It is being alleged that the local BJP leaders are being "ignored" as the administration is being run by the "bureaucrats and government officials". There are complaints of the state police "not paying any heed to local BJP leaders."
Concerns are also being raised over other infrastructure projects like roads and electricity and stories of "mismanagement in government hospitals appearing in local newspapers".
It is also being felt that as a "first-time MLA", the Chief Minister is unable to "assert himself". Reports emanating from the state indicate that public opinion is changing rapidly in favour of the Opposition Congress. A senior BJP leader from Rajasthan said, "People feel that the previous Ashok Ghelot government was better than this."
With the 2029 general elections on the horizon, the BJP can ill afford to risk losing a crucial state like Rajasthan in the 2028 Assembly polls. According to sources, while Sharma's potential replacement is unlikely to be Raje, the party is actively scouting for an "assertive, experienced leader" who can steady the ship and "reinvigorate" the state unit ahead of the high-stakes battle.