Playing defensive, the Congress has repeated sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Ijyaraj Singh from Kota constituency in the first list of candidates released on Saturday.
Ijyaraj Singh, who hails from an erstwhile royal family, made his debut in 2009 Lok Sabha elections, when he was not even a member of the Congress. Surprisingly, he defeated BJP candidate Shyam Sharma by over 83,000 votes.
One of the strongest points of Singh is his regular contacts with the people under his constituency. Singh even tried to maintain a balance between the different factions of the Congress leaders in Kota. Singh’s candidature may also affect the Rajput voters, who are believed to be traditional BJP supporters.
Singh had also fulfilled several promises including establishment of Agriculture University in Kota, canal strengthening, extension of railway facilities and many other things. But at the same time, he also failed to resume flight services from Kota airport and expedite construction of collapsed cable stayed bridge, despite making serious efforts on such issues.
When asked about his election issues, Singh said that he would like to continue his good work and pursue development works in Kota.
However, the road to success in Lok Sabha elections will not be as easy for Singh as it was in 2009 elections, following the recent debacle of Congress in 2013 assembly polls. Although BJP has not announced its candidate from Kota constituency so far, but Singh will have to counter the recent wave in favour of BJP.
{{/usCountry}}However, the road to success in Lok Sabha elections will not be as easy for Singh as it was in 2009 elections, following the recent debacle of Congress in 2013 assembly polls. Although BJP has not announced its candidate from Kota constituency so far, but Singh will have to counter the recent wave in favour of BJP.
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