Former Union minister Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh joined the Congress last month. (File photo)
Former BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh, who joined the Congress last month, will contest the Rajasthan Assembly elections against Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje from Jhalrapatan. The announcement Saturday came as Congress released its second list of 32 candidates for the polls. Rajasthan will vote on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11.
Meanwhile, Raje filed her nomination for the upcoming polls at Jhalawar secretariat in the state Saturday. The BJP also released its third list of 8 candidates for the polls. Singh, 54, who won from Barmer’s Sheo constituency as a BJP candidate in the 2013 Assembly elections, had announced at a rally in September that he is leaving the BJP. “Kamal ka Phool Badi Bhool’, he had said, claiming that going with the BJP’s election symbol, the lotus, was a “big mistake”.
Accepting the responsibility, Singh told ANI, “I am honoured that Rahul Gandhi Ji and Congress CEC thought it useful for me to contest and I am touched by the responsibility shown towards me. I accept the responsibility and will run a fair campaign.” Reacting to the announcement by the Congress, incumbent CM Raje said, “The Congress could not find any candidate and he (Manvendra Singh) was to be given ticket from somewhere and therefore, he was sent here (Jhalrapatan).” “But they should know that it is not a fight of one person, this is a contest fought by Jhalawar and Rajasthan, which is a family,” Raje was quoted as saying by PTI.
Congress state chief Sachin Pilot welcomed Singh into the party, saying it will strengthen the party. He had said, “There is a long list of leaders quitting the BJP and the party should introspect why this is happening.”
INC COMMUNIQUE
Announcement of second list of candidates for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan. @INCRajasthan pic.twitter.com/pXqQbCaZyT
— INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) November 17, 2018
After joining Congress, Singh had said the people of Rajasthan will take revenge on his former party for insulting Rajput leader and Jaswant Singh. “The people of Rajasthan, especially from Barmer, Jalaur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur will take revenge for that insult caused to “my father Jaswant Singh when he was denied the party ticket and was expelled,” he had said.
Manvendra was a BJP MLA from Sheo constituency in Rajasthan’s Barmer district from 2013 till last month.