MLA's arrest tarnishes image of Rajasthan's emerging tribal party

JAIPUR: The arrest of Bagidora MLA and Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) leader Jaikrishn Patel by Rajasthan's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has dealt a major blow to the credibility of the 20-month-old tribal-centric party that dramatically disrupted Rajasthan's political landscape with its "Tribal First" agenda.Patel was allegedly caught red-handed Sunday accepting a bribe in exchange for raising questions in the assembly regarding a controversial mining lease in Todabhim-Karauli constituency. The scandal triggered disillusionment among BAP's core tribal voter base, which propelled the party to prominence during the 2023 assembly elections.Formed just ahead of those polls, BAP stunned both BJP and Congress by clinching three tribal-dominated seats — Umesh Meena from Aaspur, Thavar Chand from Dhariyawad, and Rajkumar Roat from Chorasi. The party's promises to expand tribal reservations from 45% to 70-75%, demand recognition of the tribal language, and ensure greater access to education struck a powerful chord with voters in the tribal belt.The party's momentum surged when senior tribal leader Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, a Congress rebel who switched over to BJP, vacated the Bagidora seat to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Banswara. In a high-stakes faceoff, Roat — then a two-time MLA from Chorasi and the party's most recognisable face — contested against Malviya in an election that even drew Prime Minister Modi's attention.Roat, who won his first election in 2018 on a BTP ticket, emerged victorious again, while Jaikrishn Patel (Bagidora) and Anil Kumar Katara (Chorasi) bagged the vacant assembly seats, signalling a significant expansion of BAP's footprint in the state."The party demolished strongholds of Congress and BJP and built a deep emotional connection with the tribal population. Tribal fairs, festivals, and cultural events became vehicles of political mobilisation. The growing demand for a larger share in state schemes put the party on a rising trajectory — until the Patel incident," said a senior BAP insider.The party, which gave tacit support to Congress in the Assembly by participating in joint Opposition protests, is now struggling to manage the political fallout. "We are investigating the matter internally and will take appropriate action based on the ACB's findings," a senior BAP leader told TOI. "It is also crucial to probe the role of a BJP leader who, we believe, played a part in orchestrating this episode. The conspiracy must be exposed."While speculation is rife over political sabotage and internal discord, the scandal threatens to stall the rise of BAP.