Rajasthan Assembly Elections: Will rebel MLAs play spoilsport?
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Dec 6, 2018, 17:54 ISTHighlights
- The battle for Rajasthan is no longer a contest between the BJP and Congress
- Leaders disgruntled with the ticket distribution are posing a serious challenge
NEW DELHI: Rajasthan is all set to go to polls on December 7. But what started as a bipolar contest between the BJP and Congress is not longer as clear cut. Disgruntled leaders from both parties contesting more than a third of the 200 seats across the state have turned the battle triangular one.
In a bid to fight anti-incumbency, the ruling party gave tickets to new faces. The move, however backfired. Former BJP minister Ghanshwam Tiwari’s left BJP to form his own party -- the Bharat Vahini Party -- and has fielded candidates in 63 constituencies. Similarly, Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal who was suspended from the BJP in 2013, floated Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) on October 2018 and is contesting in more than 50 seats.
Explore how Rajasthan voted in the past with constituency details along with electoral map
Several BJP ministers and sitting MLAs, including Surendra Goyal, Hem Singh Bhadana, Rajkumar Rinwa and Dhan Singh Rawa, who were denied tickets decided to quit and contest the polls as independents. To add insult to injury, BJP leader Manvendra Singh (son of Jaswant Singh) too turned tables and joined the Congress. As a result, the BJP is now contesting against 30 rebel candidates in the state.
Checkout TOI’s Interactive Campaign Tracker for everything happening on the poll trail
The Congress hasn’t fared much better. Its second list of tickets left plenty of candidates disappointed, both from the Sachin Pilot and the Ashok Gehlot camp. Leaders such as Sohan Nayak, CS Baid, Ramesh Chand Khandelwal and Nathuram Sinodia chose to leave the party and contest as independents. Result: Congress which had an initial advantage against the BJP now suddenly finds itself facing a third front of rebels. Opinion polls in August predicted as many as 130 seats for the Congress by November this number had dropped to 119.
As part of the damage control exercise, the Congress expelled 35 rebel leaders while the BJP threw out 11, including four ministers. But the fact remains that these candidates command influence in their constituencies and this poses a new threat to both the BJP and the Congress.
In a bid to fight anti-incumbency, the ruling party gave tickets to new faces. The move, however backfired. Former BJP minister Ghanshwam Tiwari’s left BJP to form his own party -- the Bharat Vahini Party -- and has fielded candidates in 63 constituencies. Similarly, Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal who was suspended from the BJP in 2013, floated Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) on October 2018 and is contesting in more than 50 seats.
Explore how Rajasthan voted in the past with constituency details along with electoral map
Several BJP ministers and sitting MLAs, including Surendra Goyal, Hem Singh Bhadana, Rajkumar Rinwa and Dhan Singh Rawa, who were denied tickets decided to quit and contest the polls as independents. To add insult to injury, BJP leader Manvendra Singh (son of Jaswant Singh) too turned tables and joined the Congress. As a result, the BJP is now contesting against 30 rebel candidates in the state.
Checkout TOI’s Interactive Campaign Tracker for everything happening on the poll trail
The Congress hasn’t fared much better. Its second list of tickets left plenty of candidates disappointed, both from the Sachin Pilot and the Ashok Gehlot camp. Leaders such as Sohan Nayak, CS Baid, Ramesh Chand Khandelwal and Nathuram Sinodia chose to leave the party and contest as independents. Result: Congress which had an initial advantage against the BJP now suddenly finds itself facing a third front of rebels. Opinion polls in August predicted as many as 130 seats for the Congress by November this number had dropped to 119.
As part of the damage control exercise, the Congress expelled 35 rebel leaders while the BJP threw out 11, including four ministers. But the fact remains that these candidates command influence in their constituencies and this poses a new threat to both the BJP and the Congress.
Jaipur: MLA Hanuman Beniwal launches ‘Rashtriya Loktantrik Party’ at Hunkar rally01:06
Jaipur: MLA Hanuman Beniwal launches ‘Rashtriya Loktantrik Party’ at Hunkar rally
01:06
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