Rajasthan polls: Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot in Congress’ 1st list
New Delhi/Jaipur: The Congress on Saturday released its first list of 33 candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, fielding Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot from Sardarpura and his former deputy Sachin Pilot from Tonk.
Three leaders who rebelled against Gehlot with Pilot in 2020 made it to the list -- Indraj Singh Gurjar from Virat Nagar, Mukesh Bhakhar from Ladnun, and Ramniwas Gawariya from Parbatsar.
The Congress has given tickets to five ministers, 28 sitting MLAs and an independent candidate who won the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections.
The party has fielded Archana Sharma from Malviya Nagar and Pushpendra Bharadwaj from Sanganer. Both of them had lost the last elections.
Lalit Kumar Yadav, who lost the elections on a BSP ticket from Mundawar, and Vivek Dhakhar, who had contested unsuccessfully on a Congress ticket from Mandalgarh, have also been given tickets.
Speaker C P Joshi will contest from his Nathdwara Assembly seat and Congress state unit president Govind Singh Dotasra from Lachhmangarh. Former minister Harish Chaudhary will contest from Baytoo and minister Mamata Bhupesh from Sikrai-SC seat.
Meanwhile, the BJP named 83 more candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly polls, fielding former chief minister Vasundhara Raje from her traditional Jhalrapatan seat.
The party also decided to field Narpat Singh Rajvi from Chittorgarh after its earlier decision to deny the five-term MLA, who is the son-in-law of its stalwart leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, renomination from his Vidhyadhar Nagar seat. This triggered a backlash from a section of party workers.
The BJP leadership’s about-turn on his candidature is being seen as a damage-control exercise after Rajvi reacted angrily and cited his family legacy to hit out at the party.
The names also include Vishwaraj Singh Mewar, a descendent of Maharana Pratap Singh, who joined the party recently. He has been fielded from Nathdwara, which was won by veteran Congress leader C P Joshi in 2018.
Former state BJP president Satish Poonia has been fielded from Amber, the seat he currently represents in the Rajasthan Assembly.
The name of its leader in the Assembly Rajendra Rathore also figured in the list.
With the second list, the BJP has so far named 124 candidates for the November 25 polls to the 200-member Assembly.
Rajasthan has never re-elected a government since 1998, alternating between the Congress and the BJP.
The polls to the 200-member Assembly will be held on November 25.
