JAIPUR: The Congress on Sunday released its seventh list of 21 candidates for the November 25 Rajasthan assembly polls, fielding state minister Shanti Dhariwal from the Kota North seat.
So far, the lists of candidates issued by the BJP and Congress have left Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former CM Vasundhara Raje disappointed. Gehlot’s close loyalists, PHED minister Mahesh Joshi and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Dharmendra Rathore have been dropped.
Both Joshi and Rathore are believed to be responsible for the defiance against the Congress leadership
during the MLAs’ revolt in the last September.
In the BJP lists, over 50 Vasundhara Raje loyalists have been given tickets but in the fifth list of 15 candidates, her loyalist and former party president Ashok Parnami has been denied the nomination from Adarsh Nagar seat in Jaipur. However, some of Raje’s supporters such as Vijay Bansal from Bharatpur and Pralad Gunjal from Kota North, Rajkumar Rinwa from Sardarshahar and many others have received the party ticket.
In the previous list one of Raje’s favourite former ministers, Yunus Khan, did not get the ticket and he has announced his intention to run as an independent candidate from Deedwana. The last date for the nomination is Monday. Both parties seem to be trying to avoid protests and rebel candidates. Overall, Congress is offering opportunities to the supporters of both Gehlot and Sachin Pilot based on their influence, stature, and advocacy.
However, the chief minister has also managed to secure the tickets for more than half a dozen of his close associates such as Naeemuddin Guddu, Kishnaram Vishnoi, Meena Kanwar, Shehzad Khan, Mangalaram Godara, and Gopal Meena. From Pilot’s perspective, he has also received a fair representation in this list. His aides like Abhimanyu Punia, Prashant Sharma and Virendra Singh have got the party nomination.
Stamp of Congress leadership
In seven lists, Congress emphasis has been more on displaying the strength of the high command rather than focusing on victory or defeat.
Raje’s aides dropped
In BJP lists, over 50 Vasundhara Raje loyalists have been given tickets, but in the fifth list, president Ashok Parnami was denied ticket.