Jaipur: Congress on Sunday released the second list of 43 candidates for Rajasthan Assembly elections. The party is fielding former chief secretary Niranjan Arya from the Sojat (SC) seat.
State ministers Govind Ram Meghwal and B D Kalla have been fielded from Khajuwala (Scheduled Caste) and Bikaner West, respectively. Minister of State for Higher Education Rajendra Singh Yadav was fielded from the Kotputli seat. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas has been fielded from the Civil Lines seat, while Minister of Industry State Enterprise Shakuntala Rawat will contest the elections to the 200-member assembly from Bansur.
These ministers are considered close to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Ministers Brijendra Singh Ola and Murari Lal Meena, both considered close to Gehlot's former deputy Sachin Pilot, have been fielded from Jhunjhunu and Dausa, respectively. Gehlot and Pilot have been at loggerheads over leadership in the state ever since the Congress came to power in Rajasthan in December 2018. The chief minister had faced a rebellion by Pilot and his MLA supporters in 2020.
In an October 20 public meeting of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Dausa, both Gehlot and Pilot talked about unity. Priyanka Gandhi at the meet also asserted that the party is united in Rajasthan. Public Works Minister Bhajan Lal Jatav will fight the polls from the Weir (Scheduled Caste) constituency. Excise Minister Parsadi Lal Meena and Deputy Chief Whip of the Congress in the Rajasthan assembly, Mahendra Chaudhary, have been fielded from Lalsot (Scheduled Tribe) and Nawan.
Labour Minister Sukhram Vishnoi will contest the elections from his Sanchore assembly seat, Revenue Minister Ramlal Jat from Mandal and Tribal Area Development Minister Arjun Singh Bamaniya from Banswara-(Scheduled Tribe). They are also considered supporters of the chief minister. The Congress has so far announced 76 candidates for the Rajasthan polls. The first list of 33 candidates was released on Saturday. The result of the polls will be declared on December 3. The Congress is seeking to retain power on the strength of its work over the past five years and with the help of welfare schemes announced by the Gehlot government.
The source said that the second CEC for Rajasthan is likely to take place on October 29 or 30. The Congress has been planning to drop about 15 to 20 sitting MLAs on the basis of the survey report prepared by party's strategist Sunil Kanugolu. Kanugolu in his report to the party leadership has flagged strong anti-incumbency against at least 40 sitting MLAs.
