Fringe parties bag ‘rejects’

The rush has grown after the Congress and BJP headquarters in Delhi released their final lists. The BJP’s biggest loss so far has been Madhu Sharma, Jaipur’s zilla pramukh and a ticket-seeker from Amber. BJP’s Jhunjhunu district president Rajender Sharma has also joined the SJF.

The Congress has also lost some old-timers to the new parties. Former state vice-president Gopal Joshi, state secretary Somendra Sharma, Radheyshyam Singh Tanwar and Abdul Mansuri are among those who have joined the SJF.

The INLD is not far behind in sharing the discarded pie. The party is certainly attracting disgruntled Jats but Om Prakash Chautala is welcoming non-Jats as well. Congress state vice-president Dularam, a hopeful from Raisinghnagar, has managed an INLD ticket from a Jat-dominated area despite being a Dalit. The BJP, meanwhile, has lost the support of five-time MLA Khangar Singh.

Chautala’s son Ajay has shifted camp to Rajasthan to strengthen the party base. According to his assessment, farmers are unhappy with the Gehlot government and will therefore support the INLD.

SJF convenor Lokendra Singh Kalvi has always maintained that parties like his will be the deciding factor in these polls. In fact, when Devi Singh Bhatti quit the BJP and became the president of the SJF, the party was already worried.

The main parties, however, put up a brave front. ‘‘In a democracy, we welcome new parties,’’ says BJP state president Vasundhara Raje. ‘‘But in the final run, the contest will be between two parties only.’’

Congress chief Girija Vyas says such defections are normal developments before an election and would not affect the overall process.