BJP denies ticket to 43 sitting MLAs including four ministers
Jaipur, Nov 15: Looking to retain power in Rajasthan, the BJP has denied tickets to its 43 sitting MLAs, including four ministers, even as some leaders who have crossed over from other parties have been fielded for the upcoming assembly elections.
The ruling party has released two lists so far of 162 candidates for the elections to be held on December 7 for 200 assembly constituencies. Names of more candidates are expected to be announced soon.
The BJP had released its first list of 131 candidates on November 11, while the second list of 31 candidates was announced on November 14. In the second list itself, the party denied tickets to 14 sitting MLAs and three ministers.
In the two lists, a total of 92 sitting MLAs have been fielded again in the election.
The BJP had won 163 seats in the last 2013 elections, while its arch-rival Congress could get just 21. Traditionally, these two parties have ruled the state one after another.
So far, the saffron party has given tickets to 19 women candidates.
Besides, four leaders who have joined the BJP from some other parties have also got the party ticket for the polls.
These include Abhinesh Mehrishi, who would contest from Ratangarh seat after quitting BSP, Congress leaders Ashok Sharma and Mahesh Pratap Singh (for Rajakhera and Nathdwara seats, respectively) and two-time independent legislator Gurdeep Shahpini (Sangaria seat).
Those having been denied a ticket include Gyandeo Ahuja, a sitting MLA from Ramgarh seat of Alwar. When contacted, Ahuja declined to comment on denial of ticket from his existing constituency.
"I would comment only after meeting the office bearers of the RSS, Ahuja told PTI on Thursday.
He said he has not met Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje so far on this issue.
The BJP ministers who have been denied ticket by the party from their existing seats include Babulal Verma, Dhan Singh Rawat, Rajkumar Rinwa and Surendra Goyal. Goyal has resigned from the party and has announced he will contest the election independently.
The denial of ticket to leaders like Gyandev Ahuja and Dhan Singh Rawat has come as a surprise to many, even as they have been known for their hardliner comments that have often triggered controversies.
Sheo constituency MLA Manvendra Singh has joined the Congress while the Nathdwara assembly seat fell vacant after the demise of BJP legislator Kalyan Singh Chouhan.
The saffron party has not given ticket to any Muslim candidate so far.
It is also being keenly watched what would be the fate of Chief Minister Raje's close aide Yunus Khan, who was fielded from Didwana Assembly seat in last election. The party has not announced any candidate from that seat so far.
Also, there is no clarity so far on candidature of erstwhile royal family member Diya Kumari from Sawai Madhopur seat.
The counting of votes for December 7 elections would take place on December 11, along with the same for four other state assemblies, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to record low of 90.87 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee plunged 9 paise to a record low of 90.87 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, weighed down by sustained FII outflows and no breakthrough in the India-US trade deal.
However, a weaker greenback and a decline in global crude oil prices capped further losses in the domestic unit, according to forex traders.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at its all-time low of 90.87 against the US dollar, down 9 paise from its previous close, and traded in a narrow range of 90.77- 90.87 in early trade.
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The rupee on Monday settled at a new all-time low of 90.78 against the US dollar, registering a loss of 29 paise over its previous close, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
"The US-India trade deal still seems to be off by a distance with the Commerce Secretary saying the first phase will be signed before the end of the year and news that we are closest to the deal being signed. The uncertainty has clouded the recovery on the USD/INR pair as the rupee opened lower with dollar buying happening every day," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Even a reduction in trade deficit on Monday could not bring about a recovery in the rupee with Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) outflows continuing, he added
According to the latest government data released on Monday, India's trade deficit narrowed to a five-month low of USD 24.53 billion in November, as exports rebounded by 19.37 per cent to a six-month high of USD 38.13 billion after contracting in October, driven by higher shipments of engineering and electronics goods.
At the same time, the country's imports dipped by 1.88 per cent to USD 62.66 billion due to a fall in the inbound shipments of gold, crude oil, coal, and coke.
FIIs sold equities worth Rs 1,468.32 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.
Also, wholesale price inflation stayed in the negative for the second consecutive month in November at (-) 0.32 per cent, even though there was an uptick in prices of food articles like pulses and vegetables on a month-on-month basis, government data showed on Monday.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was at (-) 1.21 per cent in October and 2.16 per cent in November last year.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.03 per cent lower at 98.27.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.61 per cent lower at USD 60.19 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index, Sensex, declined 363.92 points to 84,849.44 in early trade while the Nifty was down 106.65 points to 25,920.65.
