The Congress has unveiled its fourth list for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, finalizing three seats in Rajasthan. With this, it is confirmed that Hanuman Beniwal has entered the INDIA alliance since Congress has conceded the Nagaur seat to his party, the National Democratic Party (RLP). Beniwal himself will be contesting from this constituency.
From the Nagaur seat, BJP has fielded Jyoti Mirdha, who had contested on a Congress ticket against Hanuman Beniwal in 2019 and had faced defeat. Back then, Beniwal had formed an alliance with BJP and secured victory. This is the third electoral battle between Jyoti Mirdha and Hanuman Beniwal. Interestingly, Jyoti Mirdha had joined BJP in 2023 after leaving Congress.
Will Hanuman Beniwal be a hurdle for Jyoti Mirdha?
For Jyoti Mirdha, the path to winning the Nagaur seat is not easy, with Hanuman Beniwal being her biggest challenge. In the previous two elections, it was due to Beniwal that Mirdha suffered defeats. In 2014, while Mirdha was contesting on a Congress ticket, Beniwal ran as an independent candidate, leading to her loss, and a BJP candidate, Choturam Chaudhary, won the election. After that, in 2019, BJP's alliance with Beniwal's RLP led to a second loss for Mirdha.
Could Beniwal tip the scales in favor of Congress?
The alliance between Congress and RLP in Rajasthan is expected to work to Congress's advantage, especially with the support of the Jat community for Beniwal.
Post-alliance, RLP Chief praises Congress
Following the alliance, Beniwal commended Congress's efforts. He remarked, "We took a step forward for the sake of preserving the democratic systems in the country, as did the Congress party. The result of our combined steps is the inclusion of the Nagaur Lok Sabha seat in the INDIA alliance under RLP. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the family of RLP and leaders of the Congress party, including national president Mallikarjun Kharge, chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former president Rahul Gandhi, national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and all senior congress leaders and state in-charge for their support."
The reasoning behind joining the INDIA block
Beniwal further stated that considering the country's current situation, with unemployment, inflation, and other public interest issues, alongside defending the rights granted by the Constitution, RLP decided to join the INDIA alliance for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. He expressed his full confidence that the people of Nagaur and voters across Rajasthan will bless the INDIA alliance in these elections.
All seats were lost in the last Lok Sabha elections
Apart from Nagaur, Congress has finalized candidates for two more seats. Anil Chopra has been given the ticket for the Jaipur Rural constituency, while Bhajan Lal Jatav will compete for the Karauli-Dholpur (SC) constituency. It's pertinent to mention that Rajasthan has 25 Lok Sabha constituencies, and Congress failed to win any seats in the state during the 2019 elections.
