Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018: All roads lead to Jaipur

With the election dates closing in Rajasthan, the clamour for ticket to contest the polls is getting louder. Jaipur, which has been a traditional BJP bastion owing to considerable RSS influence and a sizeable trading community, is however undecided. The demolition of more than a 100 temples – big and small – has taken the wind out of BJP campaign with residents, particularly in the Walled City, looking for a change. While the BJP is attempting to control the damage by swapping seats among its sitting legislators and introducing new faces, the Congress smells blood here. It is for the same reason, that AICC president Rahul Gandhi started his election campaign from Jaipur and visited the Govind Devji Temple. The changing equation has also got several heavyweights from both parties to seek a ticket from Jaipur. Here is a lowdown on the five key constituencies of Jaipur.

1. Vidhyadhar Nagar

Sitting legislator: Narpat Singh Rajvi (BJP)

BJP claimants: Diya Kumari (MLA Sawai Madhopur), Rajyavardhan Rathore (Union minister and MP Jaipur rural), Rajendra Rathore (MLA Churu and parliamentary affairs minister), Mohan Lal Gupta (MLA Kishanpol, Jaipur city)

Congress candidates: Vikram Singh Shekhawat (former councillor), Sitaram Agarwal, Manju Sharma (PCC member)

Vidyadhar Nagar is considered a safe seat for BJP. This seat is the stronghold of the RSS. The constituency has the highest number of Vaishya community voters but Congress and BJP have so far given the ticket to a Rajput candidate from here. Present MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi who is the son-in-law of former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has fallen out of favour resulting in a beeline for this "safe seat". The buzz is that the BJP is planning to introduce union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore as a candidate for a ripple effect in remaining city seats. The party could also consider fielding Jaipur princess Diya Kumari from this seat. She is presently a legislator from Sawa Madhopur which houses Ranthambhore National Park.

2. Sanganer

Sitting legislator: Ghanshyam Tiwari (rebel BJP MLA)

BJP claimants: Ashok Lahoti (Jaipur mayor), Suman Sharma (women's commission chairperson), Ramcharan Bohra (Jaipur MP), Arun Chaturvedi (BJP MLA from Civil Lines and cabinet minister)

Congress candidates: Vikram Singh Shekhawat (former councillor), Sitaram Agarwal, Manju Sharma (PCC member)

Sanganer is a hot property right now with the sitting MLA and former minister in Vasundhara Raje government, Ghanshyam Tiwari, turning a rebel. Tiwari has floated his own party the Bharat Vahini Party (BVP) and has decided to field his candidates in all 200 constituencies. He himself plans on contesting the present seat. The big-ticket candidates looking to fill up the vacuum are Jaipur mayor and BJP councillor, Ashok Lahoti, women's commission chairperson Suman Sharma, a cabinet minister in Vasundhara Raje government, Arun Chaturvedi and Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra. From the Congress stable, Suresh Mishra who has contested this seat in past and lost, and Young Turk and former student union president Pushpendra Bhardwaj are in the fray.

3. Civil Lines

Sitting legislator: Arun Chaturvedi (BJP)

BJP claimants: Ashok Lahoti (Jaipur mayor), Rajpal Singh Shekhawat (women's commission chairperson), Suman Sharma (Women's commission chairperson)

Congress candidates: Pratap Singh Khachariyawas (former legislator), Om Rajoria (former PCC secretary).

This is Jaipur's most coveted seat which has shaped many a political career in Rajasthan. BJP's Arun Chaturvedi, an RSS poster-boy, is the sitting legislator. He is also the serving social justice minister in Vasundhara Raje cabinet. Ashok Lahoti, Jaipur mayor, has his eyes on this constituency as well. He contested this seat in 2008 and lost. From the Congress, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, who is a Sachin Pilot aide and lost the elections to Chaturvedi last time, is the frontrunner on this seat. Industry Minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat may also be a candidate from Civil Lines, if Chaturvedi decides to change his seat. The only possible contest is from a fellow member of the Pradesh Congress Committee Om Rajoriya who is an influential Congressman.

4. Kishanpol

Sitting legislator: Mohan Lal Gupta (BJP)

BJP claimants: Manish Pareek (former deputy mayor), Manoj Bhargava (late Jaipur MP Girdhari Lal Bhargava's son)

Congress candidates: Jyoti Khandelwal (former Jaipur mayor), Amin Kagzi (PCC secretary)

Mohan Lal Gupta is the third time MLA from Kishanpol. Kishanpol has the largest number of Vaishya voters in Jaipur which has a dominant trading community. It also has a sizeable Muslim community. Son of late Girdhari Lal Bhargava who served as Jaipur MP for seven times, Manoj Bhargava, has staked his claim on the seat which has former deputy mayor Manish Pareek standing in the queue for this seat. Ex-Jaipur mayor and PCC general secretary Jyoti Khandelwal is seeking her first Congress ticket from Kishanpole constituency. Her rival is Amin Kagzi who lost 2013 battle to Mohal Lal Gupta by a huge margin. Giriraj Khandelwal, who remained the whip in JMC, is also vying for a ticket and is considered close to former CM Ashok Gehlot.

5. Adarsh Nagar

Sitting legislator: Ashok Parnami (BJP)

BJP claimants: Ajay Pal Singh (former housing board chairman), Raghav Sharma (former city BJP president) Neeta Khaitan (former councillor)

Congress candidates: Rajiv Arora (vice president PCC), Bina Kak (former tourism minister and actor), AA Khan aka Duru Miyan (former health minister)

This is the constituency that state BJP's former president Ashok Parnami has been winning for two consecutive elections. There is a talk of Parnami changing his constituency this time to avoid a possible anti-incumbency backlash. Ajay Pal Singh, former Housing Board chairman is among the front-runners. The area teems with Punjabi and Sikh community members along with several families who had moved in from Sindh in Pakistan, Parnami himself being one of the community. The Congress has three heavyweights seeking ticket from the constituency. Rajiv Arora who is a Punjabi and is known social worker and senior Congress leader is seeking to contest the seat. The entry of former minister Bina Kak makes the contest triangular along with her close friend and former minister AA Khan.