Krishnendra Kaur (Deepa), 64, a three-time MLA from the Nadbai assembly constituency in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, faces challenges to be elected from here in state polls due by the year-end, residents and Congress leaders said.

Deepa, a member of the former Bharatpur royal family, won in 2003 as an independent, defeating BSP candidate Sanjay Kumar by 7,060 votes. She was elected on a BJP ticket in 2008 over BSP candidate Yashvant Singh Ramu by a margin of 6,180 votes. In 2013, Deepa as a BJP candidate trounced BSP’S Ghanshyam Katara by 14,556 votes. She is now the tourism minister in the Vasundhara Raje government.

Deepa was first elected an independent MLA in 1985 from Deeg and again in 1990 as a Janata Dal candidate. She then became an MP from Bharatpur with a BJP ticket in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections.

Deepa’s cousin Vishvendra Singh from the former Bharatpur royal family is presently a Congress MLA from Kumherdeeg. There is a buzz in political circles that Vishvendra Singh may contest from Nadbai in the next assembly polls.

Going by the people’s mood, Deepa faces anti-incumbency. Sensing people’s disenchantment with Deepa, Vishvendra plans to shift to Nadbai, where a former royal stands a good chance of winning.

He has reportedly been urged by people of Nadbai to contest from here.

“People are disappointed with Krishnendra Kaur Deepa, for she has been inactive in the constituency and remained out of reach,” said Rajendra Singh of Kasoda village in Madoni gram panchayat. In the constituency, there are 18 gram panchayats under Rupwas block, 37 under Nadbai block and 12 under Sewar. “Maximum people from Nadbai are angry with the MLA, as she has failed to do development works after getting successive mandates,” Rajendra said.

But Deepa is confident and ready to fight election fourth time from Nadbai. “A railway overbridge in Nadbai town and a government college were the main demands and they have been sanctioned; some other development works are going on,” she said. Her son Dushyant Singh is her key poll manager. “No development works have been done in the area, though people elected her three times; that too, she is a minister now,” said Congress leader Bhupendra Singh. “She could win three times for being a royal family member. People are ready to defeat her this time.”

All villages in the constituency have been facing water and electricity crisis, he said. “Roads are in bad shape and there are traffic jams in the town in the absence of a railway overbridge.”

District Mahila Congress president Ricky Singh said, “All roads connecting Nadbai town are damaged. People get no government bus service from Nadbai to the district headquarters. Despite becoming a minister, she has failed to develop educational and medical facilities in the constituency.”

Nadbai Congress block president Prashand Parasar said, “Deepa has failed to provide Chambal water to area. Main roads from Nadbai to Dahra Mod, Halena, Kherli, and Nagar are damaged. Travelling on the roads is a real struggle.”

Dr Jitendra Singh, BJP leader and husband of zila pramukh Veena Singh, differed. “All roads in Nadbai constituency are being developed,” he said, calling for action against officials who take bribes. “An inquiry committee will be set up, with members from the public, against officials involved in bribery cases.”

Rajendra Singh, 65, of Kasoda village said, “People support Deepa because she belongs to former royal family. She didn’t visit villages and failed to develop basic facilities in the constituency.”

Raman Singh, 48, of Nadabi said the Congress or other parties have no competent candidate who can defeat Deepa.

First Published: Oct 22, 2018 22:24 IST