The former royal family of Tonk has extended support to Congress candidate Sachin Pilot, who is contesting from the Assembly seat in the December 7 election in Rajasthan.
The titular nawab of Tonk, Aftab Ali Khan, urged the members of his clan to vote for Pilot. The family has significant influence in the town but it is not politically involved.
The BJP has fielded Transport Minister Yoonus Khan, the party's only Muslim face this election, against Pilot from the Tonk seat.
Both candidates are ‘outsiders’ but geographically Tonk is close to Pilot’s Lok Sabha constituencies, Dausa and Ajmer, which he won in 2004 and 2009 respectively.
The BJP won this seat, dominated by minority communities including Muslims, Scheduled Castes and Gujjars, in 2013. Congress broke a four-decade-long tradition of fielding Muslim candidate from Tonk when it announced Pilot’s candidature.
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Published 01 December 2018, 13:50 IST