Rajasthan: After skipping urban local body polls, Beniwal's RLP to contest panchayat elections

Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) will contest the upcoming panchayat elections in Rajasthan.

The party did not contest the recently held urban local body polls in the state.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, the RLP convener said the party will contest the ensuing panchayat elections across the state while also adding that the doors remain open for a political alliance to fight against the Congress.

The Nagaur Lok Sabha member announced that party MLA Pukhraj Garg will be the party's state president.

We will be contesting the upcoming panchayat elections in Rajasthan, he said.

A former BJP leader, Beniwal targeted the Congress for opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act saying that party was concerned about its "vote bank".

He opined that people of all communities were with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ongoing protests against CAA will not last long.

Slamming Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, he said the Congress leader should be a chief minister or prime minister in Pakistan if he was worried about Muslims.

Alleging that farmers in the state were in distress, he said his party will launch a campaign against the government from Jodhpur.

Beniwal, who has been a critic of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, had formed the party ahead of last year's Assembly elections in which three RLP candidates, including himself, emerged victorious.

Ahead of the general elections in May this year, Beniwal joined hands with BJP and contested the Nagaur seat under the alliance.

Beniwal, who was the Khinvsar MLA then, went on to win the LS seat.

When bypolls were held for the Khinvsar Assembly seat in October, BJP and RLP again announced an alliance and Beniwal's brother Narayan Beniwal contested and won the seat.