BJP’s strong bastion dominated by Raje & her son

Jaipur: Jhalawar-Baran seat is one LS seat that has only seen members of the Vasundhara Raje family as MPs for decades. Between 1952 and 1989, the seat saw 4 MPs, but after 1989, it was Vasundhara Raje who had successive stints as an MP, and then she passed on the baton to her son Dushyant Singh, who has been winning this seat. Out of 17 elections, 9 times Raje and her son have won this seat.

While the Congress party remained dominant in various parts of the state, the Jhalawar parliamentary seat and later Jhalawar-Baran has been an Achilles heel for the party. Nemi Chandra Kasliwal from Congress won the first election in 1952. He was re-elected for a second term in 1957 and completed his tenure in 1962. Former Kota royal Brijraj Singh, initially fielded by Congress, won LS election in 1962 but later shifted to the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the earlier avatar of BJP. He secured victory twice from this seat, first as a Jan Sangh candidate in 1967-71 and then in 1971- 77. His initial election was under Congress, and his active involvement facilitated Jan Sangh’s control over the seat. Janta Party’s Chaturbhuj served as an MP from this constituency. In 1977, amid a strong anti-Congress wave, he won, retaining his seat on a Janata Party ticket in 1980.