BJP names 83 more candidates for Raj polls, fields Vasundhara Raje from Jhalrapatan
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday released its second list of 83 candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, including former chief minister Vasundahara Raje from her traditional Jhalrapatan constituency.
The BJP second list also includes Vishwaraj Singh Mewar, a descendent of Maharana Pratap Singh, who joined the party recently. He has been fielded from the Nathdwara constituency, which was won by veteran Congress leader C.P. Joshi in 2018.
Former Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia has been fielded from Amber, the seat he currently represents in the state Assembly. Party leader Rajendra Rathore also figured in the second list. However, his constituency has been changed from Churu to Taranagar. A seven-time MLA, Mr Rathore represented Taranagar in the Assembly for just one term -- from 2008 to 2013.
Former Nagaur MP Jyoti Mirdha, who joined the BJP last month, has been fielded from the Nagaur Assembly seat.
The BJP has also fielded 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 Mr Rajvi reacted angrily and cited his family legacy to hit out at the party.
Of the 83 candidates named in the second list, 10 are women.
While the BJP gave 50 incumbent MLAs tickets, it denied renomination to nine sitting MLAs.
Incumbent MLAs Subhash Poonia (Surajgarh), Ashok Lahoti (Sanganer), Mohan Ram Chaudhary (Nagaur), Roopa Ram (Makrana), Suryakanta Vyas (Soorsagar), Harendra Ninama (Ghatol), Chandrabhan Singh Akya (Chittorgarh) and Lalit Kumar Ostwal (Bari Sadri) were not given tickets.
Also, Dholpur MLA Shobharani Kushwah, who was expelled from the party for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls last year, was not given a ticket.
With the second list, the BJP has so far named 124 candidates for the November 25 polls to the 200-member Assembly. The counting of votes will be held on December 3.
On October 9, the BJP released its first list of 41 candidates, which includes seven members of Parliament.
