Rajasthan polls: BJP welcomes new joinees, including former Congress member

Local leaders from Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party have also joined the BJP ahead of state Assembly elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed 10 new members to its party in Rajasthan on Monday ahead of the state Assembly elections. Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Antar Singh Nehra and former Congress leader Suresh Mishra were among the individuals who joined the BJP.

Nehra, a former Jaipur collector, joined the party with state president CP Joshi. Suresh Mishra, who contested the 2008 assembly elections as a Congress candidate from Jaipur's Sanganer seat, also joined the BJP.

Additionally, local leaders from Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) in Nagaur also switched to BJP a month before the state polls. This included Seema Chaudhary, Geeta Devi, Rewat Ram Daga, and Mahipal Mahla, among others.

This news comes amid protests by disgruntled BJP leaders and their supporters in several districts of Rajasthan over the denial of party tickets. BJP has released two lists of candidates for 124 out of 200 seats in the state. Congress has also released two back-to-back lists, fielding 76 candidates for the Rajasthan polls. Both parties are yet to announce their candidates for the chief ministerial position.

A party requires 101 seats to form the government in Rajasthan. The last elections were held in 2018, when Congress formed the government with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and independent candidates.

The Rajasthan Assembly election is scheduled for November 25. The counting of votes for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram will be done on December 3.

Find all Rajasthan state Assembly election updates here.

(With agency inputs)