Politics
Bharatiya Adivasi Party Gears Up to Challenge BJP, Congress in Rajasthan’s Tribal Belt
A new political outfit — formed by tribal leaders following a split in the Bharatiya Tribal Party — has thrown the gauntlet to the BJP and the Congress in Rajasthan’s tribal belt, forcing senior leaders of the two national parties to make frequent visits in their attempts to shore up support ahead of the assembly polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, among others, have made several visits to the tribal region in an attempt to solidify their parties’ support bases.
Assembly elections in Rajasthan are due later this year.
On Monday, Modi will visit Chittorgarh district, which has a sizable tribal population, and address a public rally.
Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Satish Poonia laid focus on the region and made regular visits to the tribal areas during his tenure as the BJP’s state unit chief.
His successor CP Joshi, a Brahmin face, is the party’s Lok Sabha MP from Chittorgarh.
Banswara, Dungarpur and Pratapgarh are fully tribal districts while Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Pali are partly tribal areas in the state’s southeast.
The new outfit — the Bharatiya Adivasi Party — is managed by youngsters, similar to the Gujarat-based Bharatiya Tribal Party, which won two seats in the 2018 assembly elections.
Its formation caused a complete split in the Bharatiya Tribal Party, with most supporters and leaders jumping ship to the new outfit. The Bharatiya Adivasi Party’s formation was announced in September by MLAs Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad Dindor — who won the 2018 polls on a Bharatiya Tribal Party ticket.
Only a few leaders, including state unit chief Velaram Ghoghra, have remained with the Bharatiya Tribal Party.
The new outfit is already drawing huge crowds of tribal people to its meetings, reflecting its influence in the region.
Local BJP leaders also believe that the Bharatiya Adivasi Party is now the leading force in the tribal belt.
MLA Roat told PTI, “We have formed a new organisation to work for the tribal people. We will be fielding Bharatiya Adivasi Party candidates from around 18 seats in the region.” He claimed the Bharatiya Tribal Party, which he and many others had joined ahead of the 2018 polls on the basis of its ideology — no longer worked along the expected lines, leading to the split.
“We will try to defeat both the Congress and the BJP,” he said.
Roat said if the Bharatiya Tribal Party does not interfere in the 17-18 seats where his party will contest, the Bharatiya Adivasi Party will not interfere in Gujarat.
“We appeal to all regional parties that (we) all have one objective and we should not fight among ourselves. We have asked the Bharatiya Tribal Party not to interfere in the Rajasthan assembly elections and we will not interfere in Gujarat,” he said.
“If they do not consider this, then the party with a clear vision and a strong ideology will move ahead. Our vision is clear and ideology strong and we will move ahead,” the legislator from Chorasi in Dungarpur added.
The BJP also sees the Bharatiya Adivasi Party’s emergence as a challenge.
Leaders of the saffron party believe they cannot solely rely on anti-incumbency against the state government in this region where educated tribal youngsters associated with the Bharatiya Adivasi Party are proactive and mobilising people towards it.
“The Congress’ existence in the region is on the verge of extinction. The Bharatiya Adivasi Party is leading in the region while the Congress will finish third in the assembly elections (in the tribal belt),” local BJP leader and former minister Sushil Katara said.
The Bharatiya Adivasi Party is capitalising on the sentiments of the tribal people, he added.
“They are educated, active on social media and mobilising the tribal people in their favour,” Katara, who was defeated by Roat in the 2018 polls, said.
Both Roat and Dindor had supported the Gehlot dispensation during the 2020 political crisis, caused by a rebellion by his then deputy Sachin Pilot. They had also supported the Congress candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Ghoghra, the Bharatiya Tribal Party’s Rajasthan unit chief, however, said the tribal region did not gain anything from it.
He blamed the split in the party to the “egoistic approach” of some leaders, apparently referring to Roat and Dindor and their supporters.
“They may have announced a new party but the Bharatiya Tribal Party will contest from more than 20 seats in Dungarpur, Banswara, Pratapgarh, Pali and Barmer,” he said.
He attributed the frequent visits to the region by Modi, Gandhi and other leaders to the impact of the Bharatiya Tribal Party.
“No matter how hard they try, the tribal people will not vote for them,” he said.
A Congress leader from Banswara district, however, said the state government worked to develop the region and said the party will have an edge in the elections.
“The chief minister recently cleared a proposal to prepare a detailed project report to develop Mangarh Dham, a sacred place for the tribal people in Banswara, as a national monument. He also announced development works at the ‘dham’ at a cost of Rs 100 crore in August,” the Congress leader said.
Local leaders said employment opportunities, infrastructure development and proper implementation of constitutional provisions with regard to the tribal population will be the key poll issues.
Rajasthan’s tribal belt, comprising the Vagad and the Mewar regions, has 37 assembly seats. Of these, the BJP holds 20 and the Congress 11 while three seats were won by Independent candidates in the 2018 polls.
One seat in Udaipur is vacant since Gulab Chand Kataria — the sitting MLA — was appointed as Assam governor earlier this year. Roat and Dindor are the two other members of the House from the region.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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Condemning the recent violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, Bhagwat said: “What unfolded in Bangladesh may have immediate causes, but the underlying issue is the repeated atrocities against Hindus. For the first time, Hindus united to protect themselves, but as long as this radical violence persists, not just Hindus, but all minorities are at risk. They need global Hindu support and India’s government must step in. Being weak invites atrocity. Wherever we are, we must be united and empowered — weakness is not an option.”
He added: “As long as the tyrannical fundamentalist nature exists in Bangladesh, the sword of danger will hang over the heads of not only Hindus, but all minority communities. Unprovoked brutal atrocities on the Hindu community residing in Bangladesh were repeated. A specific narrative is in circulation in Bangladesh about India being an anti-Bangladesh force. They say that Pakistan is their real friend. Since Pakistan has nuclear powers, a combination of Pakistan-Bangladesh may deal with India and try to contain it. The country that received full support in its creation is now encouraging such a narrative against Bharat.”
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Noting that “being weak is a crime”, Bhagwat said: “If we are divided and disorganised, we invite trouble. Unity, empowerment, and support are essential to protect ourselves and all these vulnerable groups.”
He added: “Foreign forces with vested interests seek to destabilise India’s progress. Deep state conspiracies, cultural Marxism, and woke ideologies infiltrate institutions — be it educational, environmental, or societal — aiming to control the narrative and undermine India’s cultural integrity.”
“It’s critical to recognise that narratives are often manipulated to serve selfish agendas. This distortion is visible globally, but especially resonates within India’s neighbourhood, where instability spills over.”
The RSS chief also said: “The recent turmoil in Bangladesh is a stark reminder of how external influences continue to fuel religious violence, with Hindus repeatedly becoming targets of atrocities. The foreign force that wants to hurt India’s global interest, destabilise its interest is spreading and funding such radicalism, particularly in the neighbouring countries. It is intended to pose a significant threat not just to Hindus, but to all minorities.”
He said: “The Western forces which talk about and promote global friendship before the whole world are conspiring behind the backs of many such developing nations. There may have been reasons behind the political uprising in Bangladesh but it would have never taken such a shape had there not been outside support, motivation and planning.”
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Politics
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Last Updated:
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini | Image/PTI (File)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form a government for the third consecutive term in Haryana with an oath-taking ceremony for Nayab Singh Saini as Chief Minister on October 17.
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Union Minister and former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said, “We have received the nod of the PM that on October 17, in Panchkula, the CM and council of ministers will take oath.”
A 10-member committee headed by the Panchkula District Commissioner has been formed by the chief secretary to take care of the oath-taking ceremony arrangements.
Nayab Singh Saini had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders in Delhi on Wednesday ahead of his likely swearing-in as the head of the new dispensation in the state following the party’s win in the assembly polls.
On Thursday, Saini also met the Union minister and the BJP’s election in-charge for Haryana, Dharmendra Pradhan, in the national capital.
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In the assembly elections, the party recorded its best-ever haul of 48 seats, 11 more than the Congress. The JJP and the AAP were decimated and the INLD managed to win just two seats.
Eight out of 10 ministers in the outgoing Saini cabinet faced defeat in the Haryana assembly polls. The two who won were Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma from Panipat Rural and Ballabhgarh seats respectively.
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Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the chief minister.
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