In bypolls, a litmus test for ruling BJP
CM Raje kicks off her campaign tour from Ajmer, which is Sachin Pilot’s former constituency
bypolls for the Ajmer, Alwar Lok Sabha and Mandalgarh assembly seats will be a referendum on the performance of ruling BJP ahead of the state assembly elections.
Not taking the bypolls lightly, chief minister Vasundhara Raje has taken the reins of the campaigning.
The bypolls come at time when small traders are upset over demonetisation and GST implementation, while Rajputs are unhappy over the killing of gangster Anandpal. Farmers too are angry that the government has not formally waived off loans after promising to do so.
Raje launched the party’s campaign on Wednesday with a threeday tour of the five assembly segments of the Ajmer LS seat.
A day ago, state Congress chief Sachin Pilot launched his party’s campaign with the four-day Kisan Nyay Yatra from Baran to Jhalawar—in Raje’s home turf.
Raje kicked off her tour from Ajmer, Pilot’s former Lok Sabha constituency that he lost to Sanwarlal Jat in the 2014 general elections. The seat fell vacant after Jat’s demise.
Both parties are in a dilemma regarding candidates. The BJP might field Sanwarlal Jat’s wife, or son Ramswarup to win sympathy votes of Jats but neither has much connect with the community members and have remained aloof from the public. The Congress could go with Sachin Pilot.
The seat has more than three lakh SC voters, 2.5 lakh Jats and 2 lakh Muslims and Rajputs and Gurjars each besides more than 1.5 lakh Brahmins, Banias and Rawats and Malis voters. If Pilot contests, he will get not only traditional Congress votes but some of the BJP’s vote bank too.
But if he contests it could dash his hopes of being the CM in the assembly elections next year. Also, if he loses, it would dent his image leading up to the polls.
In Alwar, the Congress has a strong candidate in Jitendra Singh, a former parliamentarian. While the party has not formally declare a candidate, Singh is alreadyparticipatinginchaupals and late night meetings.
The CPI and CPM also are also willing to support Singh to topple the BJP. The seat fell vacant after the demise of sitting BJP MP Mahant Chandnath.
The BJP is yet to declare its candidate but Jaswant Yadav’s name is doing the rounds. There are more than two lakh Yadav voters in the constituency with an equal number of Brahmins, Meos and scheduled castes (SCs). There are more than a lakh Meenas, 80,000 Malis and 50,000 Rajputs. Given that Meos, SCs and Meenas will go with the Congress, the BJP is hoping to garner Yadav and Brahmin votes by fielding a Yadav candidate.
Raje will be in Alwar on October 8-9 for the party’s working committee meeting and the candidate is likely to be declared after the meeting.
In the Mandalgarh assembly constituency, the BJP again faces a tough fight. The seat fell vacant after the demise of sitting legislator Kirti Kumari. The buzz is that the BJP might give the ticket to her sister-in-law, Harshita.
Also in contention is Avijit Singh son of Punjab governor VP Singh. According to sources, VP Singh approached Union home minister Rajnath Singh to rally for his son. Other probables include zila pramukh Shakti Singh Hada and UIT chairman Gopal Sharma.
Local Congress leaders say the party has a chance of winning only if a leader of the stature of Dr CP Joshi, former MP and a Brahmin, contests. The other probable names are local Congress leaders Vivek Dhakar and Satyanarayan Sharma.
JAIPUR:The