Women draw fair share in BJP list, Muslims bit less

Jaipur, Nov 10 (UNI) The first list of BJP candidates for the December 4 Assembly polls in Rajasthan reflected party thrust for women empowerment where as Muslims got a bit less share in ticket allotment.

The list of 95 candidates released by the party last night in New Delhi, had 15 women candidates including Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

Besides Chief Minister Raje, sitting MLA Anita Bhadel, former MP Usha Meena and former Kota Mayor Suman Shringi, 11 debutants, including sitting MP Ram Singh Kaswan's wife Kamla have been introduced in electoral politics.

As compared to the ruling party's figure, only 13 women have figured in the first list of 116 Congress candidates and four in the second list of 30 nominees.

However, the saffron party has only three Muslims in the first list where as the first list Congress had nine from the community.

The first list of the ruling party also showed party's priority for maintaining more or less status quo over its concern for possible threat of anti-incumbency.

As many as 39 sitting MLAs have been renominated dropping only 12. However, six sitting MLAs including ministers Rajendra Singh Rathore, Kali Charan Saraf, Sanwar Lal Jat and Madan Dilawar have been allowed to change their constituencies.

BJP has alloted tickets to 29 new faces as compared to 38 debutants in Congress' first list.

In other highlights of the BJP list, sitting MP Nihal Chand from Sriganganagar(SC) has been fielded from Raisinghnagar(SC), four leaders-sitting INLD MLA Vijay Bansal, former Congress MLA Shailendra Joshi, Abhishek Matoria and Jagdish Sampatram who had recently joined BJP also got the tickets.

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