7 MPs figure in BJP’s first list for Rajasthan

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly elections. As many as 41 candidates have been named in the list, which includes seven MPs. However, loyalists of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje did not find a place in the list.

MLA Narpat Singh Rajvee and Rajpal Singh Shekhawat are some of the loyalists of the former Chief Minister that were snubbed from the list. The seven MPs who have been given a ticket are Rajyavardhan Rathod from Jhotwara, Diya Kumar from Vidyadhar Nagar, Baba Balaknath from Tijara, Narendra Kumar from Mandawa, Bhagirath Choudhary from Kishangarh, Kirodi Lal Meena from Sawai Madhopur, and Devji Patel from Sanchore.

In August, the BJP high command dealt a major blow to Raje and her camp after their names were kept off of two important committees for the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly Elections. The former Chief Minister and her loyalists were given a miss from both the manifesto committee and the election management committee. Raje's loyalists have been demanding that she be declared as the chief ministerial candidate for the forthcoming polls.

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission announced poll dates for five states - Rajasthan, Telangana, Mizoram, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.