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Jakhar treading a new territory to enter Lok Sabha

JAIPUR, APRIL 18. The former Lok Sabha Speaker and senior Congress leader, Balram Jakhar, is treading a new territory by shifting to Churu parliamentary constituency to get a berth in the Lower House.

Jakhar, who lost to Subhash Meharia of BJP in Sikar constituency by over 28,000 votes in 1999, is trying his luck this time from Churu taking on the saffron party's Ram Singh Kaswan who is seeking re-election in the coming polls.

Apparently banking on dominance of Jat community in Churu which has always been returning a Jat candidate, except once in 1984, the Congress leader seems to have changed his constituency.

However, the battle of ballot would be quite interesting as Jakhar is facing the BJP nominee who is also a Jat.

Churu constituency, carved out in 1977 was represented by Daulat Ram Saran who won 1977 and 1980 polls as Janata party nominee but Congress captured the seat in 1984 when its candidate Mohar Singh Rathore romped home. However, Saran returned back successful in 1989 polls as Janata Dal candidate.

The seat was wrested by BJP's Ram Singh Kaswan in 1991 but Congress candidate Narendra Kumar Budhania won the next two elections in 1996 and 1998. But BJP's Kaswan regained the seat in 1999 polls.

It is the second time that Jakhar has changed his constituency after shifting to Rajasthan from neighbouring Punjab.

He won for the first time in Rajasthan from Sikar in 1984 but lost to Devi Lal who came from Haryana to contest parliamentary election from the seat in 1989. However, he regained the Sikar seat for Congress in 1991.

Shifting to Bikaner he succeeded to get a berth in Lok Sabha in 1998 polls but returning back to Sikar in 1999 he lost to BJP nominee. This led him to say goodbye to Sikar and opting for Churu this time.

Denying that he has shifted to Churu because he was not finding Sikar and Bikaner seats safe for him, Jakhar has been telling the election meetings that he had opted for the new constituency because "people of Churu have invited" him to contest from the seat.

Before shifting his base in Rajasthan, Jakhar was elected to Lok Sabha from Ferozepur in Punjab to become the Speaker. Earlier, he was elected to Punjab Assembly in 1972 and served as deputy minister.

PTI

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