NEW DELHI: To take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan, the Congress has deployed several veterans, including former Union ministers and parliamentarians. Sources in the party who were privy to strategy discussions said the idea was to ensure experienced hands in the event that the party wins.
The list of veterans includes former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, state unit chief and former union minister Sachin Pilot, former MLA, state minister and former union minister CP Joshi, former state minister and Lok Sabha MP Girija Vyas and former Lok Sabha MP Harish Chaudhary.
Sitting Lok Sabha members Raghu Sharma from Ajmer and Karan Singh Yadav, who trounced the BJP in the LS bypolls in February this year, have also been fielded. Their victory was seen as a huge boost to the party.
Harish Meena, who is a sitting BJP Lok Sabha MP from Dausa and recently joined the Congress, has also been given a ticket. The deliberations took some time but the leadership has retained 20 of the 23 sitting MLAs, said sources.