Rajasthan Elections: Meet the Man Who is 'Potential Danger' for Congress
Despite the fact that a third front experiment has always failed in the politics of Rajasthan, Hanuman Beniwal - an influential Jat leader in the state - is trying it in the upcoming election.
Beniwal - former president of the Rajasthan University Students' Union - made his political debut in the 2003 Assembly elections as an Indian National Lok Dal candidate but lost the battle. Later, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and fought the 2008 election where he registered a victory.
He was expelled from the party in 2013, after he levelled allegations of corruption against state BJP leaders. He contested that year's poll as an independent candidate and won.
This time he is representing Khinvsar constituency in Nagaur district. Jats constitute a sizeable chunk (around 17%) of voters in Rajasthan and influence at least 100 seats of the 200-member Assembly.
Given the huge turn out (in lakhs) in his rallies, he is being considered a major threat to Congress this election. He is set to launch a new political party on October 29 and claims to have support of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party, in addition to several other political outfits.
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