Kataria to be Rajasthan’s leader of opposition, Raje likely to move to centre

lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Jan 14, 2019 08:07 IST

Former home minister and Udaipur MLA Gulab Chand Kataria was on Sunday unanimously elected the leader of opposition in the Rajasthan legislative assembly.

The move has strengthened speculation that former chief minister Vasundhara Raje will now be shifted to national politics. She is likely to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Kataria, 74, was elected as leader of opposition during the first meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislative party on Sunday. Raje proposed Kataria’s name in the meeting and it was unanimously seconded by the MLAs.

Former parliamentary affairs minister and Churu MLA Rajendra Rathore was nominated as deputy leader of opposition.

Union HRD minister and party’s poll in-charge for Rajasthan Prakash Javadekar, national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi and party state president Madan Lal Saini were present in the meeting. BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said there was only one name for the post.

He said the Congress government did not have clear mandate and there was a need to keep a check on it.

The government has made tall promises but there is no clarity on the announcement of farm loan waiver or when the unemployment dole will be given to unemployed youth, he added.

Kataria, an eight-time MLA and former state BJP chief, and Rathore, a seven-time MLA, are both articulate and aggressive and will keep a strong check on the Congress government.

The party high command is keen to develop a second leadership in the state BJP and if Raje is moved out, then a revamp in the state unit is on the cards.

Talking to the media after his election, Kataria said, “We will play the role of opposition for the next five years and be the voice of people in the state.”

He said the party will work to rectify shortcomings and try to win all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Kataria will also be the pro-tem speaker to conduct the first meeting of the newly-elected assembly.