Rajasthan minister resigns after being denied ticket

Rajasthan minister Surendra Goyal resigned from the party after being dropped from the list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls, on Sunday. He will contest as an Independent candidate. Goyal has been five times BJP MLA from Jaitaran (Pali).

After the declaration of the first list, rebellion surfaced in the BJP. Party's former general secretary Kuldeep Dhankar resigned in protest after BJP repeated Phool Chand Bhinda from Jaipur's Viratnagar seat. Supporters of Bhagirath Chaudhary (Kishangarh) and minister Rajkumar Rinwa (Ratangarh) were protesting after their leaders' names did not appear in the list. 

The State headquarters of BJP  witnessed a series of protests by the supporters of the candidates, who were denied tickets in the first list of 131 candidates released on Sunday night. 

Anticipating the protests, security was beefed up outside the party headquarters in civil lines. The protesters also met BJP’s Rajasthan election management committee convenor Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at party office. 
 
In the first list of candidates, 85 sitting MLAs have been renominated. The first list has 25 new faces, 12 women, 32 youth, 17 schedule caste, and 19 schedule tribe candidates. 

Surprise on list

As per the list, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will be contesting from Jhalrapatan. Trust has again been reposed in the former BJP state president, who was ousted after losses in bypolls, and he will be trying his luck from his home turf, Adarsh Nagar in Jaipur. 

Interestingly, Col Sonaram, sitting MP from Barmer, has also been included in the first list. 

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria will fight from his home turf Udaipur. One of the surprise candidates in the list is Golma Devi Meena, wife of BJP's Rajya Sabha MP, Kirodi Lal Meen, who recently joined BJP. She will be contesting from Sapotra assembly constituency. 

Rajasthan will go to polls on December 7 and counting will be held on December 11.