Party candidate in Banswara vows to contest with 'full strength' despite Congress alliance

Arvind Damor, despite Congress pressure, refuses to withdraw nomination from Banswara Lok Sabha seat. He vows to contest with "full strength" as Congress candidate. Party had decided to support Bharat Adivasi Party candidates. Damor's actions may lead to party action. Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Dotasra warns of consequences. Malviya joins BJP.

After embarrassing the Congress by not withdrawing his nomination from the Banswara Lok Sabha seat in support of the Bharat Adivasi Party candidate, Arvind Damor on Tuesday said he will contest the election with ''full strength''.

Damor and the Congress candidate for the Bagidora Assembly bypoll Kapur Singh did not withdraw their nomination papers despite the party's decision to do so to support BAP candidates Rajkumar Roat and Jaikrishn Patel.

Damor further said that had he been told he would have to withdraw his nomination, he would have refused to contest in the first place.

''I am fighting for the self-respect of all those people of Congress ideology who think the party should not ally with the local BAP,'' he said, adding that he would be contesting the election with ''full strength as the Congress candidate''.

Damor said that a few hours before the deadline for filing of nominations on April 4, he was suddenly asked by the local leadership of the Congress to file his papers.

However, on Sunday evening, the AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa posted on 'X' that the party will support Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) candidates Roat and Patel in the Banswara Lok Sabha seat and the Bagidora assembly bypoll respectively.

In accordance with this decision, Damor and Singh were supposed to withdraw their nomination papers. Monday was the last day for it but party leaders said they were unable to contact the two.

Damor told PTI that he was campaigning in an area in the constituency that has a network issue. ''I was campaigning in the constituency yesterday where there is a network problem. If any leader had tried to contact me yesterday, they would have been unsuccessful,'' he said.

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Monday said action would be taken against Damore and Singh.

There were reports about their expulsion but a party spokesperson did not confirm it.

A section of Congress leaders was keen for an alliance with the BAP on the Banswara seat, where former Congress minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malvia is contesting as the BJP candidate.

Malviya, who was a Congress MLA from Bagidora, joined the BJP in February.

The bypoll to the Bagidora seat will also take place along with the Lok Sabha election in Banswara on April 26.

Rajasthan has a total of 25 Lok Sabha seats where polls will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26.

The Congress has left two seats – Nagaur and Sikar – for alliance partners.

The CPI(M)'s Amraram and the RLP's Hanuman Beniwal are contesting the Lok Sabha elections under an alliance with the Congress, while the BJP is contesting all 25 seats.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)