Congress Fields Former Minister Bhajan Lal Jatav From Karauli-Dholpur Constituency

Bhajan Lal Jatav, the former cabinet Minister in the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan has been nominated from Karauli-Dholpur Lok Sabha constituency for the 2024 general elections. A veteran Congress leader, he is a former two-term MLA.

In the 2023 assembly elections, he lost to the BJP”s Bahadur Singh Koli by a small margin of 6972 votes. Though he enjoyed considerable support among Jatavs and Meenas, the two major castes in the region, Bhajan Lal Jatav trailed behind the BJP candidate in a smaller majority. 

The constituency comprises eight Legislative Assembly segments, including Baseri (SC), Bari, Dholpur and Rajakhera in Dholpur district and Todabhim (ST), Hindaun (SC), Karauli, and Sapotra (ST) in Karauli district. BJP”s Manoj Rajoria has been representing the seat since 2014. However, the BJP has fielded a female candidate and fresh face Indu Devi Jatav from the constituency. 

The previous MLA has over one crore assets as per his declaration for the last election and has one case registered against him. In a recent interview with Times Of India, Bhajan Lal Jatav said that he had built deep connections among the people in the constituency. On the question of whether Prime Minister Modi”s popularity affects his candidature, he said that the Prime Minister”s image has significantly diminished. He further said that he was contesting, highlighting better connectivity, and investment for employment generation. 

The constituency is expected to witness a fierce competition between the BJP and Congress candidates. During the previous elections too, Congress has given tough competitions to the saffron party. By fielding the veteran leader and former Minister, Congress is looking to secure the seat in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.