The BJP flag.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Chittorgarh: Denied ticket for the Rajasthan Assembly polls, a BJP rebel is all set to make it an issue of Chittorgarh's pride and contest the November 25 election as an Independent candidate.
Two-time MLA Chandrabhan Singh Aakya's supporters had held a series of protests when the BJP declared former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's son-in-law and five-time MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi as its candidate from the Chittorgarh Assembly seat.
This assembly segment falls under the Lok Sabha seat held by BJP state president C P Joshi. Akya has held Joshi directly responsible for the party denying him a ticket and alleged that he was targeted because of an old political rivalry.
"This is certainly a fight of 'swabhiman' (pride). I have been among the people all the time and have always worked for the party. It has no answer as to why my name was removed and an outsider was sent. People are with me and they want me to contest," Aakya told PTI.
"I will certainly contest the election. I am hopeful that the party will change the poll nominee," he said.
Aakya rejected the possibility of shifting to the Congress, which is yet to announce a candidate for the seat, and said that if the BJP does not give him a ticket, he will contest from the seat as an Independent and will file nomination on the last day on November 6.
His supporters have rallied behind him, making it a 'local versus outsider' contest with Rajvi, who has been an MLA from this seat twice in the past, being called an 'outsider'.
Rajvi, on the other hand, has rejected the 'outsider' tag, saying, 'Mewar is in my heart. So how come I am an outsider?' He said that he worked for the area as an MLA in 1993-98 and 2003-2008.
"There is no challenge for me. I hope that everything will be settled and things will fall in line," Rajvi told PTI upon his arrival to the constituency on Monday for the first time after he was declared as the candidate.
Interestingly, the BJP, in its first list of candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly election, declared Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, a member of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family, as its nominee from the Vidyadhar Nagar seat instead of Rajvi which sparked resentment among his supporters.
Following this, Rajvi was given a poll ticket from Chittorgarh in the BJP's second list which led to a huge protest by Akya's supporters.
However, despite the rebellion, posters pasted by Akya's supporters carry the BJP's poll symbol and the photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Some even have photos of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was the chief minister of Rajasthan thrice.
Targeting Aakya for this, BJP district president Mitthu Lal Jat asked that if he was so confident of his victory, then why was he using the party symbol and the photos of BJP leaders?
"He may have gathered people in large numbers, but it is all because of the party symbol and faces of our leaders. The real picture about support to him will become clear the day he removes the symbol and photos of BJP leaders from the posters," Jat said.
He said the party's decisions were based on several factors and it was not that only Akya was denied nomination. Badi Sadri MLA Lalit Kumar Ostwal has also been denied a ticket, Jat said.
On the other hand, Congress leader Neetu Kanwar Bhati said the infighting in the BJP will give an advantage to her party provided a new face is fielded.
"There is a wave in favour of the Congress party because of the work done for people. All the schemes of the government have provided relief to the common man," Bhati, the district president of Mahila Congress, said.
Hari Shankar Pandya, a sweet shop owner at the Collectorate Road, claimed that Akya enjoys the support of every community and the sympathy is with him.
He said development is the main issue in the constituency. 'The cement industry runs the economy in the district but the benefit is not passed on to the locals because they do not get adequate employment opportunities,' Pandya said.
He, however, praised the Congress government's schemes and said that schemes like health insurance have proved to be useful to people.
Out of five assembly constituencies in Chittorgarh district, the BJP has declared candidates for three seats -- Gautam Dak for the Badi Sadri seat, Narpat Singh Rajvi for Chittorgarh and Srichand Kriplani for the Nimbaheda seat.
The Congress has announced its candidate for the Nimbaheda seat. It has fielded Udai Lal Anjana, the sitting MLA and minister, as its candidate in the seat.
The party had fielded Surendra Singh Jadavat from the Chittorgarh seat in the 2018 assembly elections but he lost to Akya by a margin of over 23,800 votes.
The Assembly constituency, which covers Chittorgarh city and some rural areas, has around 2.70 lakh voters and a majority of them are from the Rajput community, followed by Brahmins and ST-SC voters.
Chittorgarh is a part of the Mewar region and is famous for the Chittor Fort, one of six hill forts included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.