Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot with Congress candidate from Bikaner constituency Govind Ram Meghwal
Credit: PTI Photo
Rajasthan Congress is in a dilemma yet again with Rajsamand Lok Sabha candidate Sudarshan Singh Rawat returning his ticket, saying he had already expressed his unavailability due to personal reasons to the High Command.
He has refused to fight the election, saying he had made it known to the party leaders a month ago. Saying he believes in being frank and that is why he had made it clear to the High Command that he would not be able to fight the elections this time. He was given the ticket on March 25 and he refused it on Wednesday.
Rajsamand would go to polls on April 26 in the second phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections.
In a letter to Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra, Rawat wrote that despite working for the people and doing a number of developmental works in Bhim Assembly constituency as a legislator between 2018 to 2023, he lost. And as such he did not think it was morally right to fight the Lok Sabha elections within four months. He also did not make any special preparations for fighting the elections and had made it known to all the leaders beforehand. And also that he would be abroad for the next two months on a business trip. He says despite all these, a senior leader from Udaipur kept the top leaders in the dark and proposed his name. He wrote that he came to know of his candidature from social media. He requested the Congress High Command to choose someone younger and enthusiastic candidate in his place.
Rawat had not reacted on social media after he was given the ticket.
Rajsamand seat has a sizeable Rajput population and BJP has been winning this seat for the last three times in 2009, 2014 and 2019. In 2019, the present deputy chief minister Diya Kumari had won by over 5,51,916 votes.
BJP has given the ticket to Mahima Singh from the Mewar royal family and wife of Nathdwara MLA Vishwaraj Singh Mewar. The people in the region still have high regards for the Mewar royal family.
Congress would now be hard pressed to find the right candidate for Rajsamand seat. It was being rumoured that former Vidhan Sabha Speaker and senior leader C P Joshi was being coaxed to fight the election from there but he has declined the offer.
This is the second time Congress would have to change the ticket after controversy erupted over Jaipur candidate Sunil Sharma, whose ticket was withdrawn and given to Pratap Singh Khachariyawas.