Shobha Rani Kushwaha

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Shobha Rani Kushwaha
Shobha Rani Kushwaha (left) with her husband Banwari Lal Kushwaha
Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
2018
ConstituencyDholpur Assembly constituency
Personal details
BornJhansi, Uttar Pradesh
NationalityIndian
Political partyIndian National Congress (2023–present)
Other political
affiliations		Bhartiya Janata Party (2017-2022)
Alma materB.K. College Jhansi, Bundelkhand University[1]
OccupationPolitician

Shobha Rani Kushwaha is an Indian politician and a member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Dholpur Assembly constituency which she won in the 2017 bypolls which were necessiated after her husband Banwari Lal Kushwaha was convicted. She later won the 2018 election on BJP ticket and 2023 election on Congress ticket.

Personal life[edit]

Shobharani Kushwaha has done Post Graduate and she primarily belongs to Uttar Pradesh. Her ancestral home is in Jhansi, and she is married to Banwari Lal Kushwaha, who is a resident of Jamalpur village of Dholpur district in Rajasthan.[2] She belongs to Kushwaha community.[3][a] One of her brother-in-law, the younger brother of her husband— Balkishan Kushwaha is a son-in-law of former cabinet minister of Madhya Pradesh, Narayan Singh Kushwah, who led Other Backward Class wing of Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh previously.[5]

Political career[edit]

Kushwaha joined active politics after her husband B.L Kushwaha was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case, said to be honour killing.[6] He was an MLA of Dholpur Assembly constituency having won the 2013 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Election on Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. After his seat was cancelled, she contested and won the 2017 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly bye election on Bharatiya Janata Party.[7] In the bypolls of 2017, after counting of votes in second round she started leading and her opponent, the Indian National Congress candidate, Banwari Lal Sharma started trailing behind her.[8] Securing 91,548 votes she defeated Congress candidate Sharma, who polled 52,875 votes.

Later, she won the 2018 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Election as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and went on to win for the third time in 2023 but on Congress ticket.

There were allegations that Shobha's husband, B.L Kushwaha influenced the voters in favour of his wife from the prison.[9] The bypoll saw both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Vasundhara Raje, then Chief Minister of Rajasthan and former Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot campaign in favour of their respective candidates.[10] It is reported that caste factor and the votes Kushwaha and Brahmin community played a crucial role in deciding the result.[11][12]

However, during her campaign in Jheel Ka Pura village, her supporters were attacked by locals, who pelted stones at them. It was reported that the village itself was against her husband, B.L Kushwaha, as he was convicted in the murder of a youth from the village.[13] But Kushwaha retained her seat from Dholpur and won the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly polls.[14][15]

Controversy[edit]

In 2022, she was expelled from Bharatiya Janata Party after she had cross voted in favour of Indian National Congress candidate in Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan.[4][b][17] Polls were held for four seats in Rajasthan and Kushwaha voted in favour of Indian National Congress candidate Pramod Tiwari, going against her party line. In a statement later, she justified her move, saying that it was based on her conscience. Subsequently, she was expelled from BJP.[18] For her move, she was later praised by Ashok Gehlot, who had become the new Chief Minister of Rajasthan, after 2018 Assembly polls, replacing Vasundhara Raje.[19]

After being expelled from BJP, Kushwaha soon became critical of BJP leadership.[20] She also participated in several caste assemblies. In 2023, she even participated in 'Mali Mahasangam', a caste meeting of Mali caste, organised in Jaipur, alongside Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya.[21]

Notes

  1. ^ Shobharani said that me and my Kushwaha community did not go to the BJP for the Dholpur by-election in 2017. Rather these people came to us. Shobharani said that some of the promises made by the party in front of the state president of the society, 20 responsible elders and youth were not fulfilled.[4]
  2. ^ The BJP's own house was dented though they were hoping for cross-voting from the Congress camp. Interestingly, MLA Shobharani is considered to be from the former CM Raje’s faction.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "SHOBHARANI KUSHWAH DHOLPUR". Myneta.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  2. ^ "A close accomplice of Vasundhara, who is Shobha Rani, who voted in favour of Congress candidate". Aajtak. Archived from the original on 2022-06-22. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  3. ^ "BJP wants to throw me out of politics, says Rajasthan leader suspended for cross-voting". India Today. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b "BJP विधायक शोभारानी कुशवाह खुलकर बगावत पर उतरीं, बोलींं- मैं और मेरा समाज बीजेपी के". News18. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Police force of three state behind one fugitive MLA of Rajasthan". dainik bhasker. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Rajasthan Assembly: BSP MLA BL Kushwah's membership terminated". The Indian Express. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  7. ^ "Ex-BSP MLA's wife to contest Dholpur bypoll on BJP ticket". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Dholpur bypoll: BJP candidate Shobha Rani leading by 4,704". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Bypoll: BJP bags Dholpur Assembly seat in Rajasthan". The new indian express. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Rajasthan bypolls: BJP wins Dholpur, CM Vasundhara Raje her prestige". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Dholpur assembly bypoll: BJP, Cong locked in close contest". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  12. ^ "BJP wins 'battle of prestige' in Dholpur, increases vote share from 27 % to 62 %". Indian express. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Locals pelt stone at BJP MLA and supporters". Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Who is Shobha Rani Kushwaha? Why was she expelled by BJP?". DNA India. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Rajya Sabha polls: In Rajasthan, BJP suspends MLA for cross-voting, issues notice". Indian express. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Cross voting in Rajya Sabha polls revives BJP rift in Rajasthan, Raje being targeted". newindianexpress. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Who is Shobha Rani Kushwaha? Why was she expelled by BJP?". DNA. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  18. ^ "BJP suspends Rajasthan MLA for cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Ashok Gehlot says Vasundhara Raje helped save his govt in 2020; she replies: 'Fabricated stories'". Indian express. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Suspended Kushwah shoots back: It was BJP which 'destroyed' my family". Indian express. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Slogans in support of Ashok Gehlot during UP Dy CM Keshav Maurya's speech in Jaipur". India Today. Archived from the original on 2023-08-24. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
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