Till two years ago he wasn’t even in active politics. Manna Lal Rawat, the BJP’s national president of the Scheduled Tribes (ST) wing, was an additional commissioner in the transport department in Rajasthan.
But more significant has been his sudden catapult into the national team as president of the BJP’s ST Morcha. After Rajkumar Roat won the Banswara Lok Sabha seat in 2024, defeating both the Congress and the BJP, the BAP became a challenge to both mainstream political parties. In the 28 Assembly seats that dominate the Southern Rajasthan tribal belt, the BAP has radically disrupted the traditional BJP-Congress bipolar contest. In the 2023 state elections, of the 28 seats, the BJP got 17, the Congress 7 and the BAP 3.
For the Congress, the fall was even more dramatic. The BJP still maintains its hold on the tribals. We will address the issue of South Rajasthan. The BAP is talking about a Bhil Pradesh. We will work within the framework of the Constitution and we will talk about development to consolidate our vote bank. Under the leadership of Modiji there are many schemes to improve agriculture, provide employment and stop migration of tribals. This is our focus, not a separatist agenda that smacks of a red corridor. We will talk about kaushal vikas.”
From a vote share of 28.27% in 2019, it came down to 24.53% in 2024. If you see the seats in West Bengal, the BJP won all 16 reserved seats.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV after he was made head of the ST Morcha, Manna Lal Rawat said: “These things have been taken note of.
