The Rajasthan State Congress, which has contributed significantly to UPA’s victory by having a clean sweep of 20 seats out of 25, is now eying a leap in the number of ministries its MPs will get at the Centre.
In 2004, Congress won only four seats and two MPs from the sate – Namonarayan Meena and Sisram Ola became ministers. This time round, besides the two, who won once again, Girija Vyas, Sachin Pilot, Chandresh Kumari and C P Joshi are hopeful to get posts in the central ministry.
Sachin Pilot, whose victory from Ajmer is being seen as a move away from his father Rajesh Pilot’s shadow, could also win him a ministerial berth. Last time, he won from Dausa, from where his father had won five times. But this time, he had to move to Ajmer after Dausa became a reserved constituency.
Mining minister Sisram Ola, and minister of state for environment and forest Namonarain Meena may be retained whereas Girija Vyas, who won from Chittorgarh, may once again get a ministry. Vyas, at present the chairman of the National Women’s Commission, had been central minister in the past and her experience is likely to work in her favour.
Rajasthan PCC chief C P Joshi, who won by over one lakh votes in Bhilwara despite a one-vote defeat during the assembly polls, is one of the strong contenders for a ministerial job.
Scion of the Jodhpur royal family, Chandresh Kumari, who won from Jodhpur, was also a minister at the Centre in the past and being an experieced campaigner is now billed to get a minsitry again.
Namonarain Meena Set Records - Won with lowest margin of 317 votes across country.
Union Minister Namonarain Meena was declared elected from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency with a margin of just 317 votes on Sunday. Mr Namonarain Meena also set a record in this year’s Lok Sabha polls by winning with lowest margin in the country.
Mr Meena barely manged to defeat his nearest BJP rival Kirori Singh Bainsla, who came to limelight after he led the Gujjar agitation last year.
Till Sunday morning, the lowest victory margin in the country was in the name of Nattubhai Gomanbhai, who won as BJP candidate from Dadra – Nagar Haveli. Nattubhai was followed by M K Raghavan of Congress who romped home with a margin of 838 votes from Kozhikode constituency in Kerala.
First Time Two Meenas have won from Eastern Rajasthan
Belying apprehensions of an anti-Meena polarization of votes, the two Meena candidates Kirorilal and Namonarain have retained their forts in eastern Rajasthan as Meena hegemony remains unscathed in the region.
Independent Kirorilal won from Dausa by an emphatic margin of over 1.30 lakh votes while Namonarain could manage a 317-vote victory from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur. This is the first time that the two Meenas have won from eastern Rajasthan.
