BJP's Minority cell has written to the party's national president Amit Shah, urging him not to repeat Gujarat/UP model in Rajasthan.
While Congress is yet to reveal its first list of candidates for the upcoming polls, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) released its second list of 31 candidates on Wednesday. With the latest additions, the party has opened its cards on 162 of 200 seats.
The list features two prominent mentions and one omission: Serving cabinet ministers Kalicharan Saraf (Health) and Rajpal Singh (Industries) were given tickets from their respective constituencies — Malviya Nagar and Jhotwara — in Jaipur district.
Transport and PWD Minister Yunus Khan's name was conspicuously missing, cementing the widely-held belief that the party may not field a single candidate from the minority community this time. Habib Ur Rehman, the other Muslim legislator from Nagaur, shifted loyalties to Congress on Wednesday after his name didn't feature in the first list.
Till now, no Muslim name has featured on the lists, hinting the party may be going the UP and Gujarat way. BJP's Minority cell has written to the party's national president Amit Shah, urging him not to repeat Gujarat/UP model in Rajasthan.
Controversial legislator from Alwar, Gyandev Ahuja, has been dropped from Rajgarh constituency, supposedly over his active support to those reacting violently to rumours of cow slaughter. Ahuja had demanded release of gau rakshaks arrested in July for allegedly lynching one Akbar Khan.
Devasthan minister Rajkumar Rinwa has been replaced by Abhinesh Maharshi for the Ratangarh seat in Churu district. Maharshi had recently crossed over from the Congress.
Sitting legislator, Chandrakanta Meghwal, who was dropped from the Ramganjmandi constituency in Kota in the first list, has been accommodated and will now contest from Keshoraipatan.
Meghwal had protested the omission and was pacified by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. This cost Food and Civil Supplies minister Babulal Verma her spot; Verma was considered to be close to Raje, micro-managing all her political yatras.
Dhan Singh Rawat, the Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, has been dropped too, ostensibly for his alleged hate speech seeking Hindu votes which resulted in an FIR against him. The MLA from Banswara has been replaced by Akhdu Mahira.
So far, five ministers have been denied a ticket. In first list of 131 candidates, Water Resources minister Surendra Goyal and Nand Lal Meena were omitted. However, Meena's son was roped to contest the polls. In the first list, BJP repeated 18 ministers from Raje's council. With two included in second list, the tally of such ministers has climbed to 20.
The party fielded Khuman Singh from Sheo contituency in Barmer to replace sitting MLA Manvendra Singh, who joined the Congress a few weeks ago.
Fourteen sitting MLAs found themselves out of favour – Heeralal Nagar (Chaksu), Chotu Singh Bhati (Jaisalmer), Shaitan Singh (Pokaran), Tarun Rai Kaga (Chouhtan), Former Minister Jeetmal Khant (Garhihas), among others. Geeta Verma, the sitting MLA from Sikrai in Dausa, who had crossed over NPP with Kirodi Meena a few months ago, has been denied the ticket. Her spot has been given to Vikram Bansiwal.
In Sangaria, newly-inducted Gurdeep Singh Shahpeeni has won a ticket in place of sitting MLA Krishna Kadwa. Shimla Bawari from Anupgarh has been displaced by Santosh Bawri. In Chaksu, sitting MLA Lakshmi Narayan Bairwa lost a ticket and Ram Avtar Bairwa secured it.
Bairwa had voiced discontent at a party meeting last month in Jaipur, in the presence of state in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna.
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