At late night of sunday, Congress party releases its fourth list of candidates for Rajasthan polls. List also includes the name of BJP rebel Gopal Gahlot from Bikaner East seat.
Gahlot quit the BJP and join Congress after differences with the Bikaner royal family scion and sitting legislator Siddhi Kumari. Gahlot is known to have good support of Mali, Pushkarna Brahmin and minority votes, so Congress looks forward to boost party workers in the Bikaner East seat.
The Congress released a list of 22 new candidates and one change in Jamwaramgarh, where Gopal Meena was replaced by Shankar Lal Meena. Dr Rekha Kataria, central minister Lal Chand Kataria’s sister-in-law, was fielded from his stronghold Jhotwara constituency in Jaipur. In Bhilwara, Ram Pal Soni, a businessman, got the ticket, overthrowing contenders being pushed by the opposing Ashok Gehlot and CP Joshi camps. Soni was chosen owing to his a political image.
Dinesh Shrimali, who found a spot in Udaipur, too came as a surprise and is likely to turn around electoral politics in Mewar by drawing Brahmins who are upset with the BJP for not counting them in their lists so far.
Congress party has finalised its candidates for 198 out of 200 seats and the remaining two are likely to be declared on Monday.
On the other side, BJP party also declared 20 candidates, taking the total to 195 seats. The party fielded Manvendra Singh, son of senior leader Jaswant Singh, from Sheo in Barmer. Singh has served as MP from Barmer from 2004 to 2009 and lost the parliamentary elections in 2009. Gopal Joshi has been named from Bikaner West, Nirmal Kumawat from Phulera, Maman Yadav from Tijara, Rajkumari Jatav from Hindaun City. In Osian, Bhaira Ram will face former minister Mahipal Maderna’s wife Leela Maderna.
src: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cong-4th-list-out-bjp-rebel-gets-ticket/1193365/