Jaipur: After having a 20-minute closed-door meeting with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma Tuesday, setting off speculation over cabinet expansion, political appointments and internal power recalibration within the state BJP.The back-to-back meetings come days after a school building collapse in Raje’s constituency which drew national attention, and also prompted PM Modi to express grief on X. But many in the state BJP circles view the meetings as a prelude to a broader reshuffle and possible efforts to mend internal rifts.Party insiders hinted that both Raje and Sharma were consulted on critical matters, including how to better accommodate Jat politicians within the state govt and party structures, and to strike a balance among other influential caste groups.“With no Jat face in any top constitutional post, growing resentment among Gujjars over unmet demands, tribal vote drifting towards Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) and minimal representation of Raje loyalists in the Sharma cabinet, the discussions revolved around these vital issues,” said a senior BJP member. “The progress of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal was also part of the discussion,” he added.Political observers believe the meeting is particularly significant for CM Sharma, who is under consistent attack from the opposition Congress and has struggled to mobilise strong support from his own cabinet colleagues and party machinery.The meeting with the PM is seen as an opportunity for CM Sharma to strengthen his leadership with support from the state’s senior leaders in the party.On the other hand, Raje has been seeking time with the PM for months to press for greater inclusion of her supporters in the govt and organisational roles. Her last meeting with PM Modi was in Dec 2024. Even though 18 months have passed since BJP came to power, the delay in cabinet expansion and filling a number of vacant political posts has been a sore point for her supporters. The state cabinet has 24 members, including the CM, leaving scope for six more additions.According to party sources, this week’s meetings may finally pave the way for long-pending political appointments to boards, commissions and the much-anticipated cabinet expansion.Further complicating the political landscape is the recent resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, one of BJP’s most prominent Jat faces at the national level. His exit has created a significant representational void for the influential community.With no major Jat politician currently holding any top constitutional posts, BJP strategists are grappling with the challenge of retaining a voter base that showed signs of drifting away from the party in the recent Lok Sabha elections, particularly in Jat-dominated constituencies where it underperformed.
