Rajasthan assembly elections: All eyes on Manvendra Singh-Vasundhara Raje big fight

KOTA: A huge turnout of voters at

Jhalrapatan

, the constituency of CM Vasundhara Raje, showed just how interesting the fight had become after Congress fielded BJP rebel

Manvendra Singh

from here.


It is believed that son of former union minister Jaswant Singh, Manvendra Singh, who had quit the party in September calling it a fight for “self-respect’’, has given Raje a tough fight. Till 8.30 pm, Jhalrapatan had recorded 76.98%. In 2013, it had recorded 78.52%. It is believed that Raje, who had contested from the seat in 2003, 2008 and 2013, had won comfortably.

The Congress is believed to have managed to divide the traditional voters of the BJP at Jhalrapatan, be it Rajputs, Patidars, Dangi and Gujjars. Raje in 2013 won against her nearest rival from Congress party Minakshi Chandrawat for a huge margin of about 62,000 votes while her winning margin in 2008 against Congress candidate Mohan Rathore was about 30,000. “At least 50% votes of these communities today appeared diverted to Manvendra Singh and this is certainly going to dampen Raje’s victory,’’ said a local. “It is for the first time that there were Congress agents at every booth, who were closely keeping a watch, which was never the case before,’’ said Pramod Sharma, president of Yugantar Sansansthan. “It is for the first time polling pattern has changed in Jhalrapatan as there were Congress’ tables and agents at every booth that in past used to be absent,” Manvendra’s wife

Chitra Singh

told while speaking to TOI.