Raj's 4 Lok Sabha seats defy state's poll trend of favouring BJP and Cong alternatively

Rajasthan may have a general trend of favouring the BJP and the Congress alternatively in various elections, but the state's four Lok Sabha seats have defied it, letting the 'lotus' bloom unhindered there for the last 15 years.

The four parliamentary seats of Bikaner, Churu, Jhalwar and Jalore have been returning BJP candidates without a break since 2004 general elections.

Bikaner parliamentary constituency has remained a BJP stronghold since 2004 when veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra won it. And subsequently in 2009 and 2014, it was bagged by senior BJP leader Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Union minister Meghwal has been renominated by the party from Bikaner this time too. Pitted against his cousin and former IPS officer Madan Gopal Meghwal, fighting from Bikaner on a Congress ticket, the two time BJP MP is seeking a poll hat-trick from there.

Dominated by Jat community, Churu parliamentary seat too has turned into a BJP citadel with Kaswan family bagging it successively since the 2004 general elections.

The seat was first won by BJP leader Ram Singh Kaswan in 2004 and then again in 2009 after which his son Rahul Kaswan bagged it for the saffron party in 2014.

The sitting BJP MP, Rahul Kaswan, too has been renominated this time by the BJP. He will be contesting for the seat against Congress candidate Rafiq Mandelia.

Mandelia had also contested the last state assembly polls unsuccessfully from Churu assembly segment against BJP leader Rajendra Rathore. He had lost by a thin margin of over 1800 votes.

He had also contested from the Churu Lok Sabha seat against Ram Singh Kaswan in 2009.

The home turf of state's former Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, Jhalawar is another parliamentary constituency which has been defying the state's general polling trend.

Jhalwar is presently held by Raje's son Dushyant Singh, who has been representing it since 2004 Lok Sabha polls without a break.

Having already made a poll hat-trick from Jhalwar, Singh is seeking a fourth term from Jhalwar in the ongoing elections. He is pitted against a BJP turncoat, Pramod Sharma, who has been fielded by the Congress.

Jhalwar Lok Sabha seat was earlier held by Raje for five consecutive terms from 1989 to 2004.

Jalore is another parliamentary seat which has remained the BJP's stronghold for the last three consecutive Lok Sabha polls.

Sitting BJP MP Devi Ji Patel is also aiming for a poll hat-trick from here. He had won from Jalore in 2009 and 2014. In 2004, BJP candidate B Susheela was elected from the seat.

The state's general trend of favouring the BJP and Congress alternatively in state assembly elections has been persisting since 1990 when Bhairon Singh Shekhawat first led a BJP government in the state.

The trend has been replicating itself in the Lok Sabha polls too at least since 2004, when the BJP won 21 seats and the Congress 4, while in 2009, the saffron party won four seats and the Congress 20. In 2014, the BJP won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving none for the Congress.

The Lok Sabha polls in the state are due in two phases - the first phase on