The BJP has appointed Udaipur MP Mannalal Rawat as national president of its Scheduled Tribes Morcha amid the Bharatiya Adivasi Party's (BAP) growing influence in southern Rajasthan.
Rawat, a former Rajasthan Administrative Service officer, won the Udaipur Lok Sabha seat in 2024 with 7,38,286 votes, defeating his Congress rival by 2,61,608 votes.
The BJP is seeking to strengthen its tribal outreach as the BAP pushes demands including a separate Bhil Pradesh, and greater reservation in education and government jobs.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday appointed first-time Udaipur Member of Parliament Manna Lal Rawat as national president of its Scheduled Tribes Morcha. The decision is a direct response to the growing electoral threat posed by the Bharatiya Adivasi Party (BAP) in the tribal-dominated Mewar-Vagad region.
The political environment shifted during the 2024 general election when Rajkumar Roat of the BAP won the Banswara Lok Sabha seat. Roat secured 8,20,831 votes and defeated the BJP's Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya by a margin of 2,47,054 votes. This victory disrupted the traditional tribal vote bank historically shared by the BJP and Congress.
Why Has BJP Chosen Rawat?
The BAP has rapidly expanded its political footprint across southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. This expansion has altered traditional political dynamics in these regions. The BJP aims to reclaim lost ground in the ST-reserved constituencies of southern Rajasthan. The party intends to utilise Rawat's tribal identity and clean image to rebuild its local influence.
Securing tribal support remains essential for political control. The Mewar-Vagad region has historically acted as a major swing territory for forming the state government in Rajasthan.
Before entering active politics, Rawat served as a Rajasthan Administrative Service officer in the state transport department. He transitioned to politics and won the Udaipur Lok Sabha seat in 2024 with 7,38,286 votes, defeating his nearest Congress rival by a victory margin of 2,61,608 votes. This electoral success established him as an educated and articulate tribal representative for the ruling party.
The BJP is adjusting its regional approach. The party is now promoting highly educated tribal leaders to counter the grassroots youth mobilisation successfully executed by the BAP.
What Is The BAP Challenge?
The core political demand of the BAP revolves around creating "Bhil Pradesh", alongside 75 per cent reservation in education and jobs, and the assertion of a distinct, non-Hindu tribal self-identity. This proposed separate state would be carved out of tribal-dominated districts across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Rawat has publicly opposed this campaign by reframing historical tribal struggles as nationalist reform movements rather than separatist ones, Udaipur Times reported. The demand "misleads tribal youth" and attempts to "divide society" instead of focusing on actual development, Rawat said.
He advocates for tribal empowerment and regional development strictly within the existing constitutional and state frameworks. To achieve this, he proposes university curricula teaching that "Adivasis are Hindus" and pushes for local development projects like a Central Tribal University in Rajasthan.
The steady rise of tribal identity politics in South Rajasthan, Dungarpur included, has thrown up several intrinsic challenges and questions. The Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) was formed after a split with the Gujarat-based Bharatiya Adivasi Party (BTP).
