Ramesh Bidhuri, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has found himself at the center of a storm after making a communal slur directed at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali during an ongoing session in the Lok Sabha. Despite the controversy surrounding him, Bidhuri has now been entrusted with a crucial responsibility in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly Elections.
Media reports indicate that Ramesh Bidhuri has been appointed as the election in-charge for the Tonk constituency in Rajasthan. Tonk holds particular significance as it is considered a stronghold of Congress leader Sachin Pilot. While the Congress is yet to officially announce its candidate list, there is strong speculation that Sachin Pilot will contest from Tonk in the Rajasthan Assembly Elections.
The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to take place in or before November of this year to elect representatives for the 200-member house. This election will be a significant test for the Opposition INDIA bloc, with the BJP serving as the opposition, ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha Polls.
In the previous Rajasthan assembly elections held in December 2018, the Indian National Congress emerged as the single largest party with 100 seats, falling just one seat short of a majority. The BJP secured 73 seats, a significant decrease from the previous election in which it won an absolute majority of 163 seats. The Indian National Congress was able to form the government in alliance with the BSP.
Despite apparent divisions within the Rajasthan BJP, including differences between former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and the central BJP leadership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm, the party is determined to regain power and restore confidence in their prospects for securing a third consecutive win in the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls.
In addition to the Rajasthan Assembly Elections, other crucial polls that will test the strength of the Opposition INDIA bloc against the BJP include the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections and the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, both of which will be held before the general assembly polls.
Ramesh Bidhuri’s derogatory comments targeting BSP MP Danish Ali during a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission in the Lok Sabha last week have ignited a controversy. Opposition leaders have called for stringent action against the BJP MP. Danish Ali has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging that the matter of Bidhuri’s use of abusive language on the House floor be referred to the privileges committee, and he has called for an immediate inquiry. Several members of the Congress, TMC, NCP, and others have also written to Speaker Birla, demanding strict action against Bidhuri.