Congress cedes 1 more seat in Rajasthan, to back BAP candidate in Banswara

Aditi Tandon

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New Delhi, April 7

After leaving Sikar and Nagaur Lok Sabha seats for allies CPI and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in Rajasthan, the Congress on Sunday ceded more ground by deciding to support Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) nominees for one Parliamentary and one Assembly bypoll.

Congress-in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa made this decision official by saying: “The Congress will, in the upcoming elections, support Bharat Adivasi Party candidate in the Banswara Parliamentary constituency and Bagidora Legislative Assembly bypoll. Our primary objective is to save the Constitution and democracy of India.”

The announcements came days after the Congress had announced newcomer Arvind Damor, a district office-bearer of Rajasthan Youth Congress, as its candidate for the Banswara Dungarpur Lok Sabha seat.

Bharat Adivasi Party had announced sitting Chorasi MLA and party’s founder member Rajkumar Roat as its candidate. BAP had won three assembly seats in the 2023 Assembly election in Rajasthan, emerging strong in tribal areas of the state. Roat was among the three winners from the party.

The Congress has also decided to support BAP candidate Jaykrishan Patel in the Bagidora Assembly bypoll. The seat was so far held by Mahendrajeet Malviya, a four-term Congress MLA, who in a surprise move resigned from the party and as MLA recently, and joined the BJP, necessitating a by-election in Bagidora Assembly.

Malviya, a four-term MLA from Bagidora, is now the BJP candidate for Banswara Lok Sabha seat. His influence will be tested in the upcoming polls in Bagidora, where the Congress has decided to cede ground and let BAP nominee take on the BJP and Malviya.

The BJP has never won Bagidora seat in Rajasthan. In the 2023 Assembly polls, the saffron party came third in Bagidora, where Malviya won on Congress ticket and the BAP came second. The Congress will now contest 22 of the 25 LS constituencies in Rajasthan, leaving Sikar for CPI, Banswara for BAP and Nagaur for RLP. Currently, the BJP holds all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.