The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Indian cricket star Ravindra Jadeja’s wife Rivaba as their candidate to contest the Gujarat Assembly elections from Jamnagar North.
Banking on Rivaba's support from the Rajput community and the Karni Sena, the BJP dropped its current MLA Dharmendrasinh M Jadeja.
Her contest may become more interesting as Ravindra Jadeja's sister Naina Jadeja, who joined the Congress in 2019, may contest for the same constituency.
Voting for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases, - 1 and 5 December. The results will be announced on 8 December.
Here’s all you need to know about Rivaba Jadeja:
‘PM Modi Is a Source of Inspiration'
Born in Rajkot in 1990, Rivaba studied mechanical engineering from a city college.
A relative of Congress veteran Hari Singh Solanki, she got married to Indian cricket star Ravindra Jadeja in 2016.
Two years later, in October 2018, she was chosen as the women's wing president of the Rajput group Karni Sena in Gujarat. This is the same group that led protests against the Bollywood film 'Padmaavat'.
This was followed by a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi by Rivaba and her husband.
On the eve of Modi’s visit to Jamnagar on 3 March 2019, the city Jadeja hails from, Rivaba joined the BJP.
Answering why she joined the BJP, Rivaba had said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a source of inspiration for me. His personality, his identity, the way he has led the nation, his vision for the country and the identity of Hindustan he has carved out in the world, it is a matter of pride for every citizen," The Indian Express reported.
Rivaba's inclination to join politics began after she was allegedly assaulted by a police constable after her car supposedly hit his bike in Jamnagar in May 2018.
The 32-year-old candidate has recently travelled to over 200 villages in her constituency, rallying support for the elections.
In a video about the same, Rivaba said that she has been spreading knowledge about women's physical and mental health, awareness about girl education, and information regarding schemes by the state and the central government. She has also been giving out sanitary pads to the women in these villages.
Rajput Identity and Stint With Karni Sena
Identifying herself as a Rajput, Rivaba had said in a 2019 interview:
"I have faith in the sanskar and beliefs of that community. I am concerned with issues of not only Rajput women but women of all communities."
She added, "We want to empower women in the real sense. For that, self-identity is a must. Secondly, we want to effect a change in the mentality of parents and in-laws with respect to women after marriage. Widow remarriage is another subject we want to focus on. Cases of divorce are rising, we want to explore the reasons. The institution of marriage is an important part of Hindu culture," The Indian Express quoted her as saying.
Karni Sena had led massive protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Padmaavat' in 2018. Many of these protests were violent.
On being asked about the violence, Rivaba stated that Rajputs are a "warrior community" and claimed, "I would like to state that there was no violence at the initial stage...However, not only Rajputs but any community would show aggression when their sentiments are hurt."
After Rivaba was picked as a BJP candidate, Ravindra Jadeja congratulated his wife and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for giving her the opportunity.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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