Lok Sabha polls: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore shows his inked finger with his family members after voting
Gayathri Rathore, wife of BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, said today that her husband's five years as a member of parliament representing the Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha seat, had led to "so much development" and "hope in the eyes" of men and women in the area.
Jaipur Rural is one of 12 seats going to the polls in the fifth phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, with Mr Rathore up against fellow Olympian Krishna Poonia of the Congress.
Commenting on development in the constituency, Mrs Rathore said, "Our constituency is purely rural but there has been so much development in the past 5 years. When we go there, people are talking about it. You see hope in their eyes".
However, Congress candidate Krishna Poonia, who is the sitting lawmaker from Sardulpur, has a different take on the matter.
She was quoted in an IANS news report last week as saying, "The BJP is trying to divert attention of people away from job losses. People here are very angry with sitting MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. He had promised a sports stadium, schools and other basic facilities, but he did not deliver anything".
The fight for the relatively new Jaipur Rural seat - created in 2008 - will be decided by 19.43 lakh voters, of whom the Jat community, to whom Krishna Poonia belongs and who voted for Mr Rathore in 2014, is likely to be key in deciding which way the result swings.
Mr Rathore, who is also a Union Minister, will rely on votes from the Rajput and Baniya communities to retain his seat, while the Congress will hope to corner ballots from the Muslim and SC/ST communities.
Asked to describe her husband's transformation from an Army man to a politician, Mrs Rathore said, "I think he just plunges into something. He has been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. He was fortunate to be part of a party that is taking the country forward".
She also stressed on the work she does connecting with women voters in the region, saying, "It is important because when he has his sabhas very few women come. So I meet women. They communicate with me."
Voting for Rajasthan's 25 Lok Sabha seats finishes today; polling was spread across two phases - on April 29 and May 6. Election results will be declared on May 23.