Rajput or non-Rajput: Cong in dilemma over Vidyadhar Nagar, Rajasthan, Cast role in upcoming election, Cast vise voters, Rajasthan assembly election 2013, Rajasthan news.

Rajput or non-Rajput: Cong in dilemma over Vidyadhar Nagar.

JAIPUR: Both Congress and BJP are finding it difficult to select candidates for the Vidyadhar Nagar constituency, one of the eight assembly seats in the Jaipur city limits. BJP is facing strong anti-incumbency against its legislator Narpat Singh Rajvi, while Congress is facing a pitched battle among its different community groups for the election ticket.

Vidyadhar Nagar is a new assembly constituency created in 2008. It largely comprises parts of the former Bani Park assembly seat. Some parts of the then Bani Park constituency were taken out and attached to the Jhotwara seat (another new seat). These were replaced with parts of Kishanpole and Amber assembly seats to form the Vidyadhar Nagar constituency.

From 1990 onwards, the Bani Park constituency came to be considered a Rajput seat by both the principal parties of the state. The trend was maintained in the 2008 elections even though Bani Park changed into Vidyadhar Nagar with significant changes in its electorate areas.

Driven by the changes, Vaishya, Mali and Brahmin communities have been staking claim for the parties' election tickets since the last assembly elections. The claims are visible more in Congress than BJP which lacks noteworthy non-Rajput community leaders in Vidyadhar Nagar.

Sources said BJP, in all probability, would field a Rajput candidate once again from this constituency. But the party is in a fix whether to repeat Rajvi or try other options. Rajvi too seems to be weighing his options between Vidyadhar Nagar and his former constituency, Chittorgarh. In the last elections, he even considered moving to Kekri in Ajmer district. Sources said Rajvi would stick to Vidyadhar Nagar and once again play his father-in-law late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's card. Rajvi's wife could lead his election campaign this time.

Among other Rajput options available for Vidyadhar Nagar, BJP is considering ex-MLAs of Bani Park - Beeru Singh Rathore and Rajpal Singh Shekhawat. The party may also surprise the Vidyadhar electorates by sending its shrewd Rajput leader Rajendra Rathore here.

Congress, on the other hand, is witnessing a Rajput versus non-Rajput tussle among its ticket claimants. There is opposition for the last election's loser, Vikram Singh Shekhawat, who is considered close to AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and Jaipur MP Mahesh Joshi. The party's performances in his areas - Ward No-9 in 2008 assembly election and Vidyadhar Nagar in 2009 Lok Sabha election - are being cited to oppose Shekhawat's candidature. Councillor Mohini Kanwar and PCC ex-spokesperson Sampat Singh Dhamora are among the Rajput claimants for the Congress ticket.

The Vaishya/Mahajan community leaders, including Jaipur mayor Jyoti Khandelwal and her husband, are making a vociferous claim for the Congress ticket this time. PCC secretary Giriraj Garg and Sitaram Agarwal are also vying for the party ticket as leaders of Vaishya community.

"If the Congress fields a non-Rajput leader from Vidyadhar Nagar, it will get an overwhelming victory over BJP, which is certain to field a Rajput from here," a Congress office-bearer said. His reasoning is, "BJP has Vaishya community's two MLAs, Kali Charan Sarraf and Mohanlal Gupta, and a youth leader Ashok Lahoti to be adjusted on the Jaipur assembly seats. It, therefore, cannot field a Vaishya in Vidyadhar Nagar. The Congress should capitalize on it."

In the 2008 elections, Congress failed to field a single Vaishya candidate on any of the 19 assembly seats of Jaipur district. The party might field a Vaishya/Mahajan candidate from Malviya Nagar or Kishanpole seats also instead of Vidyadhar Nagar for the elections slated for December 1. Congress fears the repercussion that it may suffer if it fields one Rajput (Civil Lines) this time while BJP repeats its last election's strategy. In the 2008 elections, Congress nominated three Jats (all lost), three Brahmins (two won) and two Rajputs (one won) from Jaipur district. BJP, on the other hand, fielded three Rajputs (all won), three Brahmins (one won) and two Jats (one won).

Post the 2008 delimitation, Vidyadhar Nagar's changed caste equations have put the 'original' OBC (Mali, Yadav, Gurjar, Kumawat, Jangid, Sain, etc) in the commanding position, followed by Vaishya/Mahajan, Brahmin and Rajput communities. Manju Sharma, Anu Sharma and Narendra Vashishtha among the Brahmins and ex-pradhan Bansidhar Saini among the 'original' OBC are in the fray for the Congress ticket.

source:timesofindia

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