Battle Of Olympians: Rajyavardhan Rathore vs Krishna Poonia In Rajasthan

Rajasthan's Jaipur Rural parliamentary constituency will see a face-off between two Olympians in the national election - Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Krishna Poonia.

Mr Rathore, a Union Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, is the BJP's candidate. Ms Poonia was fielded by the Congress to take on Mr Rathore.

Mr Rathore, 49, is the sitting lawmaker in Jaipur Rural.

Both of them have represented India at the Olympics and entered politics in the same year - 2013.

Krishna Poonia, 36, became the first Indian woman track-and-field athlete to win a gold medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. She has participated in three Olympics and was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2011.

"Our fight is not that of athletes. This is a fight to save democracy. There is a need to take up the issues of the youth, farmers and women," she told NDTV. "The BJP only makes promises.... When the nation's money was being looted, why were the chowkidars (watchmen) sleeping?" said Ms Poonia, a legislator from Sadulpur assembly seat.

Rajyavardhan Rathore, who won a silver medal for India at the 2004 Athens Olympics, won gold at the Commonwealth Games at Manchester in 2002 and Melbourne in 2006. In the four years, he won 25 medals at various international championships.

The shooting champion was a Colonel in the army. He took voluntary retirement in 2013 and joined the BJP in 2013.

He contested the 2014 national election from Jaipur Rural and defeated senior Congress leader CP Joshi.

Krishna Poonia, who is originally from Haryana, won last year's Rajasthan assembly election from Sadulpur after a loss in the previous election.