Jaipur: Seven parliamentarians, including former Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, featured in the first list of 41 candidates announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming Rajasthan assembly elections, with party leaders saying the list released on Monday mostly focused on those constituencies that the party had lost in the 2018 polls.
The members of parliament (MPs) fielded by the BJP are Diya Kumari from Vidhyadhar Nagar in Jaipur, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from Jhotwara in Jaipur, Baba Balak Nath from Tijara in Alwar, Kirodi Lal Meena from Sawai Madhopur, Bhagirath Chaudhary from Kishangarh, Devji Patel from Sanchore, and Narendra Kumar from Mandawa.
The candidates’ list was released hours after the Election Commission announced the schedule for polls in five states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. Polling for the 200-member Rajasthan assembly will be held on November 23 and the results will be announced on December 3.
Besides Kirori Lal Meena, who is a Rajya Sabha member, the other parliamentarians on the list are from the Lok Sabha.
“The BJP has given me a ticket to serve the people of Sawai Madhopur. On directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, my first responsibility is to serve the people,” Meena told reporters on his candidature. “With support of well-wishers, we have to bring the BJP to power for the development and prosperity of the state.”
Barring Vidhyadhar Nagar seat, which is currently held by BJP legislator Narpat Singh Rajvi, the remaining 40 constituencies for which the BJP announced its candidates are held by the ruling Congress and other parties. Rajvi, a five-time MLA, however, did not feature in the list.
{{/usCountry}}Barring Vidhyadhar Nagar seat, which is currently held by BJP legislator Narpat Singh Rajvi, the remaining 40 constituencies for which the BJP announced its candidates are held by the ruling Congress and other parties. Rajvi, a five-time MLA, however, did not feature in the list.
{{/usCountry}}“The party is working on seats seen as weak and so the first list focuses on those constituencies,” said Narayan Pancharia, former lawmaker and convener of the state BJP’s election management committee.
Vijay Bainsla, son of late Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla who led an agitation in the state demanding reservation for the community, will contest from Deoli-Uniara in Tonk district. The BJP also fielded former IAS officer Chandramohan Meena from Bassi, a reserved scheduled tribe (ST) seat.
Six out of the 41 constituencies for which the BJP announced its candidates are reserved for scheduled castes (SC) while 10 are ST seats. Only three women featured on the list.
Political analyst Manish Godha said there were no major surprises in the BJP’s list. “The only highlight is that seven MPs, including a Rajya Sabha member, have been fielded in the assembly elections,” Godha added.
The ruling Congress is yet to announce its candidates.