Rajasthan: Udaipur MP Mannalal Rawat gets key role in new BJP team

Jaipur, Aug 17 (AHN) The BJP National President Nitin Nabin has assigned key organisational responsibilities to four prominent leaders from Rajasthan as part of the party’s newly announced national team.

Udaipur Lok Sabha MP Mannalal Rawat has been appointed National President of the BJP Scheduled Tribe (ST) Morcha. The new team also includes former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, former BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Satish Poonia, and senior leader Rajesh Mangal, who have been given important organisational responsibilities.

Rawat, the BJP MP from Udaipur, won the 2024 Lok Sabha election by a margin of 2,61,608 votes, defeating Congress candidate and former Udaipur District Collector Tarachand Meena. He attracted attention soon after entering Parliament when he took his oath in Sanskrit, becoming the first tribal MP from Rajasthan to do so.

Before entering electoral politics, Rawat served in the Rajasthan government as Additional Commissioner in the Transport Department in Jaipur. He resigned from government service after being announced as the BJP candidate for Udaipur.

Rawat comes from a farming family in Chiklad village in the Dhariyavad region of southern Rajasthan. He pursued his education despite difficult circumstances and holds B.Sc., M.A. and PhD degrees. His background in government service, academics and tribal affairs has now been reflected in the BJP’s decision to give him responsibility for the party’s ST Morcha at the national level.

Rajasthan has received significant representation in the BJP’s new national organisational structure. Vasundhara Raje has been appointed National Vice President, Satish Poonia National General Secretary, Rajesh Mangal National Co‑Treasurer, and Rawat National President of the ST Morcha.

The appointments have generated considerable interest among BJP workers across Rajasthan, including in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Kota. The new organisational responsibilities are also expected to influence the political balance within the state ahead of upcoming elections and the BJP’s broader organisational expansion.