Major gaffe by BJP Jaipur president: Lists new appointments; also their political backers

The BJP's Jaipur district president, Amit Goyal, created a major political flutter on Friday after he released a list of 34 new party appointments that unusually included a column detailing their powerful political backers.

The "sifarish" (recommendation) column laid bare the patronage system, revealing endorsements from the highest levels of the state government, including Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy CMs Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, as well as ministers, MLAs, and even leaders from the Sangh Parivar and ABVP, as per a report by Indian Express.

An analysis of the now-retracted list shows that of the eight vice-presidents appointed, five were picked through political referrals, while only three were chosen "on the basis of their work."

Similarly, the three general secretaries were appointed on the recommendations of the CM, "work and Parivar," and the local MP. CM Sharma as well as Dy CM Diya Kumari were named as the backers for four appointees each.

The faux pas drew swift and fierce backlash from within party ranks, which made Goyal retract the list. The post was swiftly deleted and replaced with a new one, declaring the original "not valid."

Goyal reportedly blamed the error on a computer operator and did not respond to calls for comment.

The gaffe has left party workers demoralised, with some reportedly already exchanging sweets to celebrate appointments that were abruptly nullified.

The public confirmation of a patronage system drew sharp criticism, with one user, Bhawani Singh Rathore, writing: "Getting a post on recommendation is an insult to every worker who is working for the party from the ground level."