In a major political development in Rajasthan ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections later this year, Congress leader Jyoti Mirdha joined the BJP earlier this week. Her Mirdha family is a well-known political family in Rajasthan and known for its long association with the Congress.

The political journey of the Mirdha family started even before India’s Independence. Jyoti Mirdha’s grandfather, Nathu Ram Mirdha, was a freedom fighter and was first elected as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Nagaur’s Merta City in 1952.

Nathu Ram began his political journey under the aegis of Baldev Ram Mirdha. There are two active Mirdha clans in Nagaur: one descended from Baldev Ram Mirdha and the other from Nathu Ram Mirdha. Nathu Ram had two sons: Bhanu Prakash Mirdha and Ram Prakash Mirdha. Jyoti is the daughter of Ram Prakash Mirdha.

Although the Mirdha clan has had a decade-long association with the Congress, Jyoti Mirdha was no stranger to the BJP even before she actually joined the party. In fact, her mother-in-law, Krishna Gehlawat, is a well-known BJP leader. Gehlawat, who was earlier associated with the Congress, had joined the BJP in 2014.

When Mirdha joined the BJP, the Congress said that she had anyway not been involved in the party’s day-to-day affairs for the past 4.5 years. The Congress party’s reaction was as if they already knew and did not seem to care much. The other Mirdha clan (Baldev) is still with the Congress. It has been so since elections started taking place in the country.

Still, Mirdha’s switch to the saffron party could boost the political fortunes of the BJP in Jaat-dominated Nagaur. Although the Jaats comprise 10-12 per cent of total Rajasthan voters, they do have a say in the government formation for they are the deciding factor in more than 50 constituencie, including the Nagaur region.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Jyoti Mirdha was the Congress party’s candidate against RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal, another prominent Jaat leader. Beniwal was supported by the BJP and defeated Mirdha.

“I know my strength in Nagaur. In 2019, some equations went against me and I lost. Not the case this time,” she told reporters after joining the BJP.

Reason behind Jyoti’s switch to BJP – a secret understanding between CM gehlot and Hanuman Beniwal

Jyoti cited a secret understanding between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Hanuman Beniwal as her reason for quitting. She said that she was being ignored and the works of her supporters were not being done in the Gehlot government. Instead, she said, RLP workers would easily get their works done. The state government has become too generous on RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal, she said.

“When an RLP worker is prioritized over a visible Congress worker, it tells whom the government is helping,” she told a Hindi daily.

There are rumors in Rajasthan’s political circles that Hanuman Beniwal, once a staunch critic of Ashok Gehlot, has developed some kind of understanding with the chief minister. Beniwal denied this when asked if he would ally with the Congress.

When Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Govind Singh Dotasara was asked about rumors of Hanuman Beniwal joining forces with the Congress, he left the door open for his party, the RLP. “If Beniwal joins the INDIA alliance, he can,” Dotasara said.

The BJP is hoping Jyoti Mirdha’s inclusion will help in consolidating its Jaat vote bank ahead of the Assembly elections. However, if the equation (BJP+Beniwal) that defeated Mirdha in 2019 turns in Congress plus Beniwal in 2023-24, the BJP may not gain more than a popular Jaat face.