Congress replaces Sunil Sharma in Jaipur following massive backlash

Congress made a change in its Lok Sabha election candidate for Rajasthan's Jaipur, replacing Sunil Sharma with Pratap Singh Khachariyawas. This decision came after controversy arose over Sharma's alleged association with the Jaipur Dialogues, a Right-leaning digital platform critical of the Congress and its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi.

The party named former Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas as its candidate from Jaipur.

The Congress made the decision a day after senior party leader Shashi Tharoor, along with others, strongly criticized Sharma for his remarks. Critics highlighted that many of the posts by the Jaipur Dialogues were communal in nature.

Tharoor took a dig at Sharma on Saturday, suggesting that he must have had some sort of revelation or change of heart.

"He must have undergone some sort of Pauline epiphany on the road to 24 Akbar! This is just one of several dozen tweets from his handle attacking me," Tharoor wrote on X, also sharing a post from the Jaipur Dialogues handle that mocked him and Rahul Gandhi.

Sharma's selection as the Congress candidate for Jaipur in their third list, released on Thursday, stirred controversy due to his alleged association with Jaipur Dialogue's statements.

The BJP has not yet announced its candidate for the Jaipur constituency. Rajasthan's Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to take place in two phases, on April 19 and April 26.