He declared that he would field dozen candidates in Mewar under the banner of his newly formed party
Independent MLA from Vallabhnagar in Udaipur, Randhir Singh Bhindar, has announced that he would field over a dozen candidates in Mewar (Udaipur) region under the banner of his newly formed party — Janta Sena. Bhindar, originally from the BJP stables, had broken away after he was denied a ticket in 2013 elections. He holds a grouse against Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria for this and has announced that he would field a candidate against Kataria and ensure his defeat.
Out of the 28 seats of Udaipur division, Bhindar would field candidates on twelve. "I was denied a ticket in 2013 due to Gulab Chand Kataria and have no hope this time as he is in charge of Udaipur. The only way out for me is to form my own party. People from both Congress and BJP are joining me. I will field a candidate against Kataria and ensure that he is defeated," said Bhindar who is a Bhairon Singh Shekhawat protegee.
Bhindar, an erstwhile royal is close to chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Interestingly, Raje had shared the stage with this independent MLA during her recently concluded Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra; which was a BJP programme. "I have not consulted chief minister before forming a party. My grouse is with Kataria and not with BJP," said Bhindar. However, he adds, "In case the BJP falls short of seats I would be willing to support them."
Attempts to contact Kataria over the matter were futile as he was busy in election-related meetings.
Bhindar's announcement could add to the troubles of BJP, because in the extremely feudal set up of Mewar, while Rajputs are not large in number, they hold a lot of influence among the tribals due to historical reasons. Rajputs and tribals have fought together against Mughal invasion. Bhindar declaring war against BJP's stalwart in the region could create a psychological dent in its traditional vote banks.
FACT BOX
- Mewar or Udaipur division has 28 assembly seats spread over 6 districts namely; Udaipur, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand and Chittorgarh.
- 20 seats are reserved for ST and one is for SC candidate.
- It’s a common political belief that the party ensuring a win in Mewar forms a government in Rajasthan.
- In 2003 BJP won 22 seats and formed a government. In 2008 Congress won 20 and formed a government. In 2013 BJP won 25 seats and formed a government.
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