Cong may field Raghu Sharma from Ajmer

: The Congress may field Raghu Sharma, a former MLA from Kekri, for the by-election to the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat, party sources said.

Congress state president Sachin Pilot had earlier contested the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat. “Pilot is the state president and bypolls will be held for two Lok Sabha seats and Mandalgarh (Bhilwara) assembly seat. Pilot has to oversee elections in three seats,” a senior party leader said, adding Sharma is the front-runner for Ajmer.

Sharma was a Congress MLA from 2008 to 2013 and appointed the party whip. In 1999, he had lost Lok Sabha elections to Girdhari Lal Bhargav.

He was a president of the University of Rajasthan students’ union and the state Youth Congress.

The Lok Sabha bypolls have been necessitated after the death of sitting BJP MPs Sanwar Lal Jat (Ajmer) and Mahant Chandnath (Alwar).

On December 24, the Congress announced Karan Singh Yadav as its candidate for Alwar.

The BJP has not announced candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats. BJP sources claimed that Ram Swaroop Lamba, son of Sanwar Lal, would be fielded from Ajmer. Either labour minister Jaswant Yadav or district president Sanjay Sharma or Balak Nath may be fielded from Alwar, the sources said.

In Alwar, the Congress fielded Karan Singh, instead of Bhanwar Jitendra Singh who had been contesting from the seat and lost to Chandnath in last

JAIPUR

elections.

“Ajmer won’t be an easy turf for both the parties; for BJP, it would be anti-incumbency, and Congress faces factionalism apart from a tough fight from the ruling party,” said a Congress leader.

The Congress needs to induct suspended ex-minister Babu Lal Nagar who has a strong hold in Dudu area, a part of Ajmer Lok Sabha seat, he said.