Rajasthan polls: Discus thrower Krishna Poonia, 19 ministers in first Congress list

Commonwealth Games gold medallist in discus throw Krishna Poonia, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his 18 ministerial colleagues and 29 sitting MLAs feature in the first list of 63 Congress candidates for the December 1 Assembly elections in Rajasthan.

The All India Congress Committee released the list in New Delhi late last night.

Poonia, who joined the Congress at party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's rally in Churu last month, will contest the polls from the Sadulpur (Rajgarh) Assembly constituency.

Besides 19 ministers and 29 sitting MLAs, the party has fielded four new faces -- Urmila Jogi in Thanagaji seat; Chatribai Sahariya, mother of former MLA Nirmala Sahariya, in Kishanganj; Mahant Nirmal Das, a sant holding ashram in Balotra, in Siwana; and Bhanwar Sigh Bhati, a sarpanch, in Kolayat constituency.

MLAs Rajendra Singh Gudha and Murarilal Meena, who had quit the BSP and joined the Congress to support the Gehlot government, have been fielded from their respective constituency of Udaipurwati and Dausa.

Assembly speaker Dipendra Singh Shekhawat has been renominated from the Srimadhopur segment, while parliamentary secretary Jahida Khan has been fielded from Kama, party Chief Whip in the Assembly Raghu Sharma from Kekari, and Deputy Whip Ratan Dewasi from Raniwara constituency.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will contest from Sardarpura (Jodhpur), ministers Shanti Dhariwal from Kota North, Rajendra Pareek from Sikar, Jitendra Singh from Khetri, B K Sharma from Hawamahal, A A Khan from Tijara, Ashok Bairwa from Khandar, Mahendrajeet Singh from Bagidora, Gurumeet Singh Kunnar from Karanpur, Vinod Kumar Leelawali from Hanumangarh, Brijendra Singh Ola from Jhunjhunu, Parsadi Lal Meena from Lalsot, Ashok Bairwa from Khandar, Manju Meghwal from Jayal, Ameen Khan from Shiv, Mangilal Garsia from Gogunda, Dayaram Parmar from Khairwara, and Bharat Singh from Sangode constituency.

Former MPs Vishwendra Singh and Coloneal Sonaram have been made the party candidates from Deeg-Kumher and Baytoo, respectively.

Chairman of Rajasthan Finance Commission B D Kalla, who lost the 2008 Assembly polls, will try his luck again from Bikaner (West) constituency.

Former PCC president and former chairman of Kisan Ayog Narayan Singh has been renominated from the Dantaramgarh seat.

The bigwigs including Revenue Minister Hemaram Choudhary, tourism minister Bina Kak, and PCC president Dr Chandrabhan's nomination expected in next lists, the sources said.

In this list no sitting Member of Parliament (Congress) from Rajasthan has been nominated.

Congress' remaining list of 137 will be released by the party high command after Diwali, a party spokesman said today. Opposition BJP has not released its candidate list so far.

The nomination for the 200 Assembly seats will begin on November 5.