In the keenly-contested Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan, Alwar and neighbouring Dausa parliamentary constituencies figure prominently among the few seats where the Congress is banking on old guards. The BJP had won all the 25 seats in 2014 LS polls in Rajasthan.
The Congress is riding high on Alwar old-timer Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, who has been trying hard to convince the electorate about the popularity of “Gehlot Sarkar” highlighting the failures of the BJP Government in providing gainful employments.
On the other hand, the BJP is relying on communal polarisation by fielding a spiritual leader Mahant Balak Nath in Alwar. Balak Nath is a disciple of late Mahant Chand Nath, who fought on the BJP ticket in 2014 to defeat Jitendra Singh.
Karan Singh Yadav of the Congress was elected in the Alwar by-election last year against BJP’s Jaswant Singh Yadav. The Congress won Alwar Lok Sabha by-election with a margin of over 1.97 lakh votes and Ajmer with 84,000 votes in the January 2018 Lok Sabha by-polls necessitated by the death of the MPs of the two constituencies.
The bypolls turned out to be a litmus test for the Vasundhara Raje Government in Rajasthan, where people vented their ire by coining slogan “Vasundhara teri khair nahi, Modi se ab bhay nahin”.
While none of the candidates in Alwar are talking about the demand to bifurcate Alwar to carve out a new district, people are hopeful that their long-cherished hope for the bifurcation of the district may be realised.
“We have a long pending demand. We hope that the industrial towns under this district should be separated for a holistic development,” said Rao Bhim of village Dhawla. Others on the spot concurred with him.
“We have voted for the Congress and will do once again because the bypolls in the two seats and the Assembly elections were clearly a signal against misrule of Vasundhra Raje,” said Manav from Dausa, who has to travel to neighboring Alwar for his studies.
The stakes for the Congress is high also in the Rajesh Pilot’s political “Karm Bhoomi” Dausa where two women contestants — former Union Minister Jaskaur Meena (BJP) and Savita Meena (Congress) — are locked in a straight fight.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been talking about bravery of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman for his role in shooting down a Pakistan fighter jet, Sachin Pilot still wields considerable influences here.
Harish Chandra Meena won the Dausa seat in 2014 polls on a BJP ticket and switched to the Congress last year.
Before the poll battle in Dausa, both major parties had to overcome the prolonged internal squabbling in their respective parties for nominating the candidates.
Though Jitendra Singh remains a favourite in Alwar and his posters are splashed across the city, Gujjar voters in this region are not favourably disposed towards him. .
“Whenever the Congress comes to power, it favours the Meo Muslims who are known only for the bad reasons like vehicle theft and other such crimes,” said Himmat Singh Gurjar of village Bheror on Alwar-Jaipur State Highway.
Sachin is a Gujjar and the community is also upset as he was not made the Chief Minister by the Congress high command. But Ashok Gehlot remains a favourite among the cross sections of the electorates for his development pitch and Rs connect’ with the grassroots.
While the “robust” image of Modi reckons the young minds of the State, unemployment in rural belt is mega concern among the young voters.
“Earlier, my village used to send 5-10 soldiers in the service of nation but for last four years none of them have been recruited. It is fine that Modi is giving strong message to our enemies but at the cost of our jawans and the issue is being exploited politically for all the bad reasons,” rued Fateh Vora at a local eatery in village Saavri in Alwar.
The BJP is piggybacking on all the Rajasthan seats on Modi’s leadership, the fallout of Balakot airstrike, and the return of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan.
“India has a powerful leader at the Centre who is respected worldwide. His achievements speak for the lowest strata of society to the strongest powers of the world,” claimed Bawla Sharma of village Biwai in Dausa.
Congress candidates are struggling to pacify the farmers over the delay in the complete implementation of the party’s promise of the farm loan waiver within 11 days of coming to power in the State government.
The reserved Dausa Lok Sabha seat is one of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan considered to be a Congress stronghold and has been represented by the Pilot family for decades. The Congress has won 10 elections from the Dausa Lok Sabha seat since elections were first held in 1952. Congress leader Rajesh Pilot won the seat for the first time in 1984 and represented it in the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1999. His wife Rama Pilot won the by-poll held after his death in 2000.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha election, Rajesh Pilot’s son Sachin Pilot, bagged the seat in 2004. Independent candidate Kirodilal Meena defeated Sachin in 2009 but lost to BJP’s Harish Chandra Meena in 2014 elections in the wake of Modi wave.
