A BJP veteran is appointed governor as the party adjusts its Rajasthan election strategy.

Gulab Chand Kataria, the head of the opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, has been elevated to the office of Governor of Assam, thereby ending his political career in the state and in the Mewar-Wagad region in south Rajasthan.

The 78 years old, Mr. Kataria is an active politician with a strong commitment to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s philosophy. He has consistently been a candidate for the position of Rajasthan’s Chief Minister and has served as the state’s Home Minister under BJP rule.

Initially opponents, Gulab Chand Kataria and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje are now acknowledged to work well together.

The BJP’s goal to pave the way for a new leadership in the state, which will hold elections at the end of this year, is to remove Gulabji, as he is affectionately known, from active politics in Rajasthan.

Mr. Kataria holds significant power in the Mewar-Wagad region as an MLA from Udaipur.

Mewar, which borders Gujarat, has a sizable tribal population, particularly in the districts of Sirohi, Banswara, and Dungarpur.

Tribals, Rajputs, and the Jain group, to whom Mr. Kataria belongs, control the 40–50 seats in Mewar.