JAT BASTION SEES SAME FACE-OFF WITH CHANGED POLITICAL EQUATIONS

Nagaur: With the filing of nominations of candidates for Nagaur Lok Sabha seat, traditionally considered the stronghold of Jat politics, the electoral chessboard has been completely laid.

Even after five years, the same old faces are contesting in the Lok Sabha elections on this seat, but the political equations have completely changed.

After the alliance with Congress, RLP has now fielded Hanuman Beniwal while BJP has made Dr. Jyoti Mirdha its candidate. Till some time ago, a direct contest was being considered between these two candidates for the Nagaur Lok Sabha seat, but shortly before the deadline for filing nominations, Bahujan Samaj Party nominated Dr. Gajendra Singh Rathore, an advocate in Rajasthan High Court and resident of Rashidpura village, as its candidate and made the contest triangular.

Hanuman Beniwal will face Jyoti Mirdha for the third consecutive time in the Nagaur LS seat. Earlier in 2014 and 2019, both had contested elections against each other. While Jyoti Mirdha was the Congress candidate in 2019, Hanuman Beniwal won by contesting against her with the support of the BJP. This time, Beniwal is in the electoral fray with the support of Congress, while Jyoti Mirdha is a candidate on the BJP ticket.

If we look at the caste equation of this Lok Sabha constituency, famous for Makrana marble, Jats are in the majority in Nagaur. There are also good numbers of Muslim, Rajput, SC and original OBC voters. The Nagaur Lok Sabha seat has been dominated by the Mirdha family for a long time. The record of becoming MP from Nagaur the most number of times is in the name of Nathuram Mirdha, who won from Nagaur six times. It is believed that BSP candidate Dr Gajendra Singh Rathore can harm Dr Jyoti Mirdha by breaking into the vote bank of the BJP. The Nagaur Lok Sabha seat has always been one of the most popular seats in Rajasthan. This time again, it has become a hot seat and now the eyes of the entire country are fixed on Nagaur.