JAIPUR: With the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls, all eyes are set on the Jaipur Lok Sabha seat.The city has been the saffron party’s bastion for the past three decades. BJP has won six LS elections in the last seven polls, the lone exception being Congress party’s Mahesh Joshi, who secured a victory in the 2009 polls. But in 2014, BJP’s Ramcharan Bohra clinched a massive victory against him.Jaipur continues to be one of the most sought after seats, particularly within the BJP. While Bohra is trying hard to retain his seat, there are several others including Diya Kumari, member of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur and a former BJP MLA, who have shown an interest to contest from here. The two have recently been involved in a tug-of-war with each making a number of unexpected public appearances as an attempt to mobilize supporters.However, it would not be easy for either of the two. The seat has been represented by a Brahmin candidate since 1984 and fielding a Rajput candidate (Diya Kumari) might risk losing the Brahmin voters for the party. The LS constituency of Jaipur Rural is represented by a Rajput – Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and unless the party opts to change his seat, it is highly unlikely that somebody from the same community would be fielded from Jaipur.On the other hand, incumbency is high against Bohra, who is also said to not have the support of the party’s elected representatives from the city. Apart from them, there are at least half a dozen senior leaders who are demanding a ticket from the seat.Congress does not have an obvious candidate, though. It too is likely to field a Brahmin candidate. Senior leader in the state Congress Archana Sharma and former mayor Jyoti Khandelwal are believed to be the front-runners for the ticket apart from a couple of other unknown faces.The seat compromises 9 assembly segments - Malaviya Nagar, Hawamahal, Civil Lines, Jhotwara, Kishanpole, Sanganer , Adarsh Nagar, Vidhyadhar Nagar and Bagru. Of these, six are represented by Congress after the 2018 assembly polls, which came as a major shock to BJP as it had won on all seats in 2013.

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