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Jaipur all set for high-profile contests

JAIPUR: The stage is set for high-profile contests here today as the Pink City goes to the polls along with the rest of the State. Three Ministers in the Vasundhara Raje Government and Jaipur Mayor Ashok Parnami are pitted against opposition Congress candidates.

After the latest delimitation exercise for the Assembly constituencies in the district, the number of seats has gone up from 15 to 19. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had won in 11 out of 15 segments in the 2003 elections.

Amid the din of electioneering, the Pink City seems to have left behind the May 13 serial blasts which claimed 68 lives. However, the terror strikes in Mumbai this past week have reverberated in the canvassing by both the major parties. Medical and Health Minister Narpat Singh Rajvi – son-in-law of former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat – is seeking election from Vidyadhar Nagar. On the other hand, Mr. Shekhawat’s nephew, Pratap Singh Khachariawas, is contesting on Congress ticket from Civil Lines.

Education Minister Kalicharan Saraf and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari are contesting from the prestigious Malviya Nagar and Sanganer constituencies, respectively. Another high-profile contest is in Hawa Mahal, where Gujarat Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma’s son Brij Kishore Sharma is contesting on Congress ticket.

Jaipur Mayor Ashok Parnami is facing Mahir Azad of the Congress in the newly-formed Adarsh Nagar constituency. While Mr. Parnami is contesting the Assembly polls for the first time, Mr. Azad – a sitting MLA from Nagar in Bharatpur district – has been shifted to Jaipur by the Congress in an attempt to gain ground in the capital city.

Outside Jaipur city, Congress nominee Rajendra Yadav in Kotputli – situated on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway – has automatically got an edge over the NDA with the nomination papers of Janata Dal (United) candidate Ramniwas Yadav being rejected. Kotputli is one of the four seats allocated to JD(U) by the BJP.

Visits by several national leaders of both the major parties to Jaipur have made a significant addition to the flurry of activities in the election campaign. Evidently the clash of personalities is set to become a major factor affecting the outcome of elections here in addition to the caste considerations and the stand of parties on a number of local issues.

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