Manvendra Singh’s exit and other rebels threaten BJP’s caste base in Rajasthan

Sheo MLA Manvendra Singh, son of former Union minister Jaswant Singh, announced on Saturday that he was leaving the BJP. Party workers say he is the latest of several unhappy leaders who could weaken the BJP’s hold on key communities in Rajasthan ahead of the Assembly election.

Manvendra Singh and the Rajput vote

Manvendra Singh is regarded as influential among Rajputs in western Rajasthan. He has claimed that the community’s pride was wounded when the BJP denied his father a ticket for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He is expected to seek a Lok Sabha seat from Barmer, possibly leaving his Sheo Assembly seat to his wife. Observers say the scion of the former Jasol royal family could draw away BJP votes on the back of sympathy for his father among Rajputs, who are often seen as BJP supporters.

Other dissenters

• Ghanshyam Tiwari: The six-time MLA and Brahmin leader opposed the party leadership inside and outside the Assembly. After a notice for indiscipline, he quit and formed the Bharat Vahini Party, and is now calling on leaders who share his views to come on board.
• Hanuman Beniwal: This crowd-pulling Jat leader from Nagaur won Khinvsar on a BJP ticket in 2008 but later left over differences with the state leadership.
• Kirori Singh Bainsla: He rose to prominence in 2008 demanding reservation for the Gujjars and four other communities in government jobs and education. He has not announced plans to contest but may sway Gujjars in eastern Rajasthan. He had threatened to disrupt Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s Gaurav Yatra in the Bharatpur division, though that leg was cancelled after Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death.

The BJP has, however, won back one caste leader, Kirori Lal Meena, who had earlier left the party.

What happened next

In the Rajasthan Assembly election the Congress won 99 of the 199 seats that voted on 7 December 2018, against 73 for the BJP, and Ashok Gehlot became Chief Minister.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party and constituencies.

Originally published on 26 September 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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