Chitra Singh, wife of Manvendra Singh says it will be a tough fight in the home turf
Chitra Singh, the wife of Congress candidate in Jhalrapatan seat Manvendra Singh, has said it would be a tough fight in the home turf of Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, but expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious.
She has been intensively campaigning along with her husband in urban and rural areas of the constituency, which Ms Raje has represented three times in the state Assembly.
Ms Singh said she has been going door to door and meeting women, appealing them to channelise their anger against the BJP government by voting for the son of ailing BJP leader Jaswant Singh.
She admitted that it would be a tough fight in Jhalrapatan in Jhalawar district but expressed confidence that her husband would win the seat, saying the people were filled with anger against the "mother and the son", apparently referring to Ms Raje and her son, Dushyant Singh.
Ms Singh said people wanted a change as the land in the area was fertile and favourable for setting up industries but neither were the farmers getting a fair return on their crops, nor were industries being set up.
She said if the Congress was voted for power, they would focus on generating employment for youths by setting up industries and promoting agro-industry.
On Manvendra Singh being a new face in the constituency, she said even Raje was a new face when she came here 30 years ago. She claimed the people had realised that despite being under the chief minister, the area was still neglected.
"We were also a new face, five days ago when we first came here, but the people have been giving us a very warm response," she said.
Manvendra Singh, who was a member of the BJP earlier before joining the Congress, said he was seeking to convert the "anger against Raje" into votes for him.
"I am receiving a positive response from the people during the campaign. They are very friendly and angry with the state government," Manvendra Singh told PTI.
"My main strategy to win is to convert the anger among the people against the chief minister into vote in the Congress' favor," he said.
Manvendra Singh had won as a BJP candidate from the Sheo constituency of Barmer district in the 2013 state Assembly polls.