Jaipur: “I’ll consider contesting the election on a Congress ticket if the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) doesn’t give me a ticket,” said BJP’s Bhawani Singh Rajawat, a Vasundhara Raje loyalist.The Kota Ladpura seat is a stronghold for the BJP. Rajawat served as the MLA from this constituency between 2003 and 2018, until the BJP denied him a ticket. At that time, Ijyaraj Singh, who was a Congress MP from the Kota-Bundi seat, joined the BJP, and his wife, Kalpana Devi, was given the ticket from Ladpura. Rajawat said, “She received votes using my name; the seeds that I had sown were producing the fruits of labour that she reaped.”The Hadoti area has 17 seats, with 10 held by the BJP and seven by the Congress. Two MPs, both from the BJP, represent this region: Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and Dushyant Singh.As of now, both the BJP and Congress have yet to announce their candidates for the Ladpura seat. Both parties have released two lists of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.Rajawat spoke to The Wire on the phone on the future of his political career with the BJP. Edited excerpts from the conversation are below.You recently met former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Did you discuss the possibility of receiving a ticket this time?I met with Ms Vasundhara Raje five days ago, and she assured me that she is working on securing my ticket. I am confident that I will receive the ticket.We’ve seen two examples in Jaipur where close aides of Raje’s didn’t receive tickets. How do you view this?We are all party workers, and it’s not about proximity to someone. Others who received tickets are also dedicated party workers. I believe the party is functioning with Vasundhara-ji, and she has not been sidelined.How do you assess your party’s tenure from 2013 to 2018 under Raje’s leadership?I believe it was one of the best administrations I’ve witnessed since India’s independence, led by Raje. We achieved a mandate of 163 seats during her leadership, and those were years of significant development in the state.If it was the best regime under Raje’s leadership, why hasn’t the party declared her as the chief ministerial candidate?The party will decide who becomes the chief minister after winning the election, and we have no objections to the party’s decision on that matter.Do you think the BJP is trying to sideline Raje because she doesn’t align with the current politics of the BJP, which may not be rooted in communal politics?Vasundhara-ji is a people’s leader, and everyone respects her. I don’t believe the party is attempting to sideline her; she is invited to every party meeting.In the 2018 elections, do you think Kalpana Devi, who contested from your seat, received votes and won because of your support?Yes, the support base was primarily mine, which contributed to her victory.How do you see the role Om Birla in your ticket being given to Kalpana Devi, considering that her husband was a contender to him?No, in 2018, Raje asked me to compromise on the seat, as raj pariwar [Ijyraj Singh’s family is locally referred to as royalty] was joining the BJP.What will you do if you don’t receive a ticket? Would you consider joining the Congress if they offer you a ticket?Yes, I would consider taking a chance with the Congress, but I am confident that the party [BJP] will not let me down this time.