Key Candidates

The Rajasthan Congress chief has created the most buzz in the state this time. The BJP has alleged that the former education minister is the main culprit behind the exam paper leak controversy. Dotasra is fighting from Laxmangarh assembly constituency – tucked inside Sikar district and 150 km from Jaipur – which he has won since 2008. The BJP last won this seat in 2003, when Keshar Deo contested on a party ticket. Despite the paper leak being a serious issue, Dotasra continues to remain a popular figure in the area.

An old horse of the Congress and speaker in the Rajasthan legislative assembly, CP Joshi is a seasoned politician who wears a smile even in the most challenging times. He is fighting from Nathdwara constituency, which is a part of the Mewar region. Joshi is the sitting MLA from here.

The incumbent chief minister is the top face of the Congress in Rajasthan. He is contesting from Sardarpura assembly constituency, which is in the Jodhpur area. This is a Congress stronghold where the party has not lost a single election since 1998. The same year, Gehlot was elected from here in a bypoll and has not lost since. The BJP won here last in 1993 when another Gehlot – Rajendra Gehlot – won. In 2018, Ashok Gehlot received more than 63% of the votes polled and defeated BJP candidate Sambhu Singh by a margin of over 45,000.

The BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP and the party’s “anti-corruption face” has been asked to fight it out from Sawai Madhopur assembly constituency this time. Since 1998, Sawai Madhopur has interchangeably elected Congress and BJP legislators. Meena had previously won the seat in 2003. Diya Kumari, contesting from Vidhyadhar Nagar and tipped to be in the race for CM if the BJP wins, tasted victory from this seat in 2013. Last time, Danish Abrar of the Congress won this seat defeating the BJP candidate with a margin of more than 25,000 votes.

Often dubbed the new royal-in-the-house, who may replace Vasundhara Raje Scinida, Diya Kumari is fighting from Vidyadhar Nagar assembly constituency in the heart of Jaipur. She was a princess of the Jaipur royal family. The BJP has been winning this seat since 2008. Narpat Singh Rajvi – a relative of BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and whose name still commands respect – won this seat thrice but was unceremoniously removed this time. Instead, he is being fielded from Chittorgarh.

Called the ‘Yogi of Rajasthan’, whose nomination day saw Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also join in, Mahant Balaknath is fighting from the Tijara assembly constituency in Alwar near the Haryana-Rajasthan border. He is also the sitting MP from Alwar.

The former chief minister continues to remain the BJP’s most formidable face in Rajasthan. Sidelined but not out of the game, she is fighting for another shot at the top job from her usual seat in Jhalrapatan. Just like CM Ashok Gehlot has held onto Sardarpura since 1998, Raje too has been winning from this seat since 2003. The last time the Congress won here was in 1998. In the previous election in 2018, when she was the incumbent CM, Raje defeated Manvendra Singh of the Congress with a margin of more than 35,000 votes.

The BJP leader is a descendant of Maharana Pratap and is being fielded from Nathdwara. It is after 30 years that a person from Maharana Pratap’s family has joined politics. During an interview, Vishwara Singh told News18 that he is going to win. By fielding him, the BJP has tried reaching out to the Rajputs in the Mewar region, who went against the party in 2018 due to the ‘Padmaavat’ movie controversy.

Rajasthan’s former deputy chief minister and a claimant to the top post, should the Congress win this time, is not only a young gun but the tallest Gujjar leader of the party in the state. He is fighting from Tonk, 100 km from state capital Jaipur. Regardless of his much talked-about power tussle with CM Ashok Gehlot, Pilot is perceived as the “son of the soil” in his assembly constituency.

The former union minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet has been asked to prove his mettle from the Jhhotwara assembly constituency this time, which is in the outskirts capital Jaipur. Though Rathore has tried sounding optimistic by calling this a “huge opportunity”, he has already faced protests after the hopes of others vying a BJP ticket stood dashed. But, the saffron camp managed to contain the possibility of a division of votes by making the rebel candidate withdraw. The Congress won this seat last time when Lalchand Kataria defeated BJP’s Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, who had won this seat in 2008 and 2013.

Leader of opposition in the state legislature, Rajendra Singh Rathore is a seven-time MLA and the BJP’s key Rajput face in Rajasthan. He was the sitting MLA from Churu but was moved to neighbouring Taranagar as he desired.