Former Rajasthan Minister Rajendra Singh Gudha Joins BJP

Rajendra Singh Gudha had joined the Shiv Sena last year after he was removed from the Rajasthan cabinet.

File photo of BJP leader Rajendra Singh Gudha.

Former Rajasthan minister and Congress leader Rajendra Singh Gudha Joined BJP on Wednesday.  

Rajendra Singh Gudha had joined the Shiv Sena last year after he was removed from the Rajasthan cabinet.

Gudha, who held the position of minister of state for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development in the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, was dismissed from his role in July last year.

He was removed from the cabinet after he criticized the former Congress-led government in the state during a state assembly session, drawing comparisons between sexual violence in strife-torn Manipur and crimes against women in Rajasthan.

152 Candidates In Fray For 2nd Phase In Rajasthan 

Thirty-one candidates have withdrawn their nominations in Rajasthan on Monday, leaving 152 in the fray for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

With this, a total of 266 candidates -- 114 in first phase and 152 in second phase -- are in the contest for the 25 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan.

Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said 31 candidates from 10 out of 13 Lok Sabha constituencies under the second phase withdrew their nomination papers on Monday, the last day for withdrawal, as per PTI.

Congress candidate from Banswara Arvind Damor did not withdraw his nomination paper despite the party's decision to support Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP). Similarly, the party's candidate for Bagidora assembly bypoll of Banswara district, Kapur Singh, did not withdraw his nomination.