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Congress to fight all seats, BJP all but one

The Bharatiya Janata Party will contest 199 seats of the 200 seats in the Rajasthan assembly while the Congress will contest all.

The BJP is leaving Degana constituency in Nagore district to an independent, Richpal Mirdha. Mirdha won the seat on a Congress ticket in 1993, but had supported the BJP government.

Sources said Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat would seek re-election from Bali constituency in Pali district. The chief minister has also submitted nomination papers from Jaipur's Johree Bazaar constituency, but is likely to opt out there.

The Congress, meanwhile, announced 24 more names on the last day for filing nominations, thus putting up candidates in all constituencies.

Former minister Bhanwar Lal Sharma, who recently left the Janata Dal, has been fielded for the Sardarshahar assembly constituency in Churu district.

Another former minister, Madan Kaur, will contest the Pachpadra assembly seat in Barmer district.

Sympathiser and independent legislator Shrawan Kumar will contest the Pilani seat of Jhunjhunu district, and former Jaipur zilla pramukh (district council president) Sahdeo Sharma has been named for Amer.

Former Congress MP and current legislator Vishnu Modi has been re-nominated for the Pushkar seat in Ajmer.

UNI

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