Jaipur: With the Congress pitting ace discus thrower and former Olympian Krishna Poonia from Jaipur Rural against BJP MP and Union Minister for Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the polls in the Lok Sabha seat of the pink city is turning into a battle of Olympians.
Ace discus thrower Krishna Poonia to contest election
While Rathore's nomination was an expected one, Poonia's candidature came as a surprise, with the announcement being made late on Monday night.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, the Commonwealth Gold Medallist said, "I am a woman and I have the capability of fighting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. I am grateful for the party to have shown confidence in me."
Hitting out at the BJP, Poonia said, "Congress party does not believe in Jumla's, we deliver on our promises. BJP wants to fight this election along communal lines, by bringing up the Mandir-Masjid issue, but, it won't work this time around, people are demanding answers."
Both Rathore and Poonia kick-started their respective political careers in 2013, while Rathore won the seat to the lower house in 2014, Poonia lost it in December 2013 assembly election.
Poonia is now a sitting MLA from Sadalpur and defeated BSP MLA Manoj Nyangli and BJP veteran Ram Singh Kaswan in the 2018 assembly elections.
Speaking about the kind of support she expects from the people of the constituency, Poonia stated, "Women of the country are now becoming aware of their rights and I have confidence in them that they extend their support to me."
In a country where caste plays an important role so far as elections are concerned, the Jaipur Rural seat is no exception, with Poonia having to rely heavily on Jat votes, which constitutes 23% of the voters.
Also read: Cong fields Olympian Krishna Poonia from Jaipur Rural LS seat
