Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore vs Krishna Poonia in battle of Olympians at Jaipur Rural

JAIPUR: Sporting spirit may well take a back seat in the battle for Jaipur Rural, where two former Olympians - discus thrower Krishna Poonia, the sitting MLA and Congress's nominee, and BJP MP and Union minister for sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore- are pitted against each other. Rathore won a silver in double trap at the 2004 Athens Games. Poonia finished a commendable sixth in discus throw at the 2012 London Games.


Rathore's candidature, a foregone conclusion, was made official in the first BJP list for the state, but Poonia's name for the constituency came as a surprise, the announcement being made late on Monday night. "Even I came to know about it only last night," Poonia told TOI on Tuesday. "After I spoke to CM Ashok Gehlot, it became evident that Congress wants me to contest from this seat," she said. Even if the call took her unawares, Poonia accepted the challenge. "It's an opportunity for me."

The gloves are already off. On Tuesday, Poonia landed her first punch on Rathore. "I am a farmer's daughter and I understand the problems of rural people," she said. "I also took up a sport that village youth play. I did not win medals playing my game in an air-conditioned hall," she said.

Both started their political careers in 2013. Rathore won this LS seat riding the Narendra Modi wave in 2014. Poonia lost the December 2013 assembly election.

But five years on, the scenario is quite different. Poonia is now a sitting MLA from Sadulpur with a giant-killer tag. She defeated BSP MLA Manoj Nyangli and BJP veteran Ram Singh Kaswan in the 2018 assembly polls.

Besides the silver medal at the Athens Games, Rathore won gold twice in the World Shooting Championship. He also bagged two gold medals in the Commonwealth Games. He is already an established name in politics, and was appointed a minister despite being a late entrant in the arena. BJP is likely to put its entire weight behind him. With Congress in power in the western state, Poonia too will get ample support from her party.

In a state where caste plays a significant role, Poonia will be banking on Jat support, almost 23% of voters in Jaipur Rural. In 2014, Rathore, a Rajput, had thrashed Congress veteran C P Joshi by over three lakh votes. Rajputs make up about 10% of voters in the constituency.