The ruling Congress on Saturday announced the names of candidates for the upcoming by-elections at three Assembly seats in Rajasthan. The polling in Rajsamand, Sahara (Bhilwara) and Sujangarh (Churu) constituencies will be held on April 17.
AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik released the list of candidates in New Delhi, declaring Tansukh Bohra as the party's candidate for Rajsamand, Gayatri Devi for Sahara and Manoj Meghwal for the Sujangarh seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra and AICC general secretary in-charge of the State Ajay Maken also released the list on their twitter accounts. Mr. Dotasra congratulated the three candidates and extended best wishes to them.
The Opposition BJP had announced its candidates for the three seats on Thursday. Mr. Bohra, a mining industrialist, will be contesting the bypoll from Rajsamand against BJP's Deepti Maheshwari, daughter of MLA and former Minister Kiran Maheshwari, whose death in November 2020 had left the Assembly seat vacant.
Ms. Gayatri Devi is the wife of Sahara MLA Kailsah Trivedi, who died in October 2020 after being infected by COVID-19. Mr. Trivedi's brother Rajendra Trivedi was also a strong claimant for a ticket from the constituency. Ms. Devi is pitted against septuagenarian BJP leader Ratanlal Jat, who was earlier elected an MLA twice from Sahara.
Mr. Manoj Meghwal is the son of Social Justice & Empowerment Minister Bhanwarlal Meghwal, who represented the Sujangarh constituency and had died of brain stroke in November 2020. He will be contesting the bypoll against BJP candidate Khemaram Meghwal, who is a veteran leader of the State's Shekhawati region and was earlier a Minister of State.
All the three Congress candidates will be contesting the elections for the first time, though Ms. Devi had earlier fought the panchayat polls in Churu district. They will file their nominations on March 30, which is the last date for filing of papers.
