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Too many stalwarts weigh heavy on BJP leaders in Marwar
Choosing candidates for the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Marwar is not going to be an easy task for the BJP leadership. While on the one hand, the party has to accommodate heavyweights like former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh, the RSS nominees are staking their claims too.
Choosing candidates for the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Marwar is not going to be an easy task for the BJP leadership. While on the one hand, the party has to accommodate heavyweights like former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh, the RSS nominees are staking their claims too.
Marwar has four parliamentary constituencies Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer-Jaisalmer and Jalore-Sirohi. Congress won three seats except Jalore during the general elections of 2009. It is a big challenge for BJP to capture all the three seats from Congress as well as retain the Jalore seat.
Jaswant Singh is keen to contest the general election from Barmer-Jaisalmer constituency, but chief minister Vasundhra Raje wants to accommodate a Jat leader due to the caste factor. Denial of ticket to a big gun of BJP will not be easy for her.
“Since the Rajput prone assembly segments of the Barmer constituency Pokhran and Shergarh are now part of Jodhpur parliamentary constituency, it will be risky to avoid candidature of Jats or OBCs,” a senior BJP leader said on condition of anonymity.
Jaswant Singh could be offered ticket from Jodhpur, but he has certain reservations, as Congress will probably repeat union minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch -- sibling of erstwhile ruler of Marwar Gaj Singh. Jaswant would not like to get into a row with the former royals, as he is closely associated with this family.
In Jodhpur, many Rajput leaders are also staking claim for the seat, as 10 of total 17 aspirants are Rajputs. RSS too wants its candidate to contest from Jodhpur and has given three names based on the caste equations. Rajput, OBC and Brahmins are the major castes in the constituency and if BJP adjusts Rajput in Barmer, naturally claim of OBC and Brahmins will be on rise here.
BJP is facing problem in Jalore-Sirohi constituency too, as local leaders are against repeating sitting MP Devji Bhai Patel. People from Sirohi are also claiming the seat this time, as it was not given proper representations. Either outsiders like Sushila Bangaru (wife of former BJP president late Lakman Bangaru) were accommodated from the constituency or the leaders from Jalore were given the chance. This time a Mumbai based BJP leader and a chairman of a private co-operative bank is staking the claim.
Apart from this, RSS too wants to accommodate its leader from Jalore-Sirohi. Situation in Pali constituency is also not easy for the BJP leadership. Marwar has four parliamentary constituencies Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer-Jaisalmer and Jalore-Sirohi. Congress won three seats except Jalore during the general elections of 2009.
It is a big challenge for BJP to capture all the three seats from Congress as well as retain the Jalore seat.
