Cong raises ₹2.47L through crowd funding in two days

Facing a cash crunch, the Congress in Rajasthan has opted for crowd funding and is now running a 77-day campaign to finance assembly elections scheduled for later this year.

The state Congress in last two days has received a sum of ₹2,47, 477 from 168 donors.

The top five donors include Sushil Asopa (₹25,000) and Sachin Mathur (₹21,000), followed by Arvind Verma (₹12,000), Rukshmani Kumari (₹11,000) and Salman Aneez Soz (₹10,000) – many of them are Congressmen.

The party is also receiving a good response through social sharing – the web page for contributions has tabs to share the initiative on WhatsApp messenger and Facebook.

In 2015, it was the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had run the crowd funding campaign called ‘Donate to AAP’.

State Congress president Sachin Pilot said, “This is an initiative by AICC and the idea behind it is not just raising funds but to establish connect with people.”

He added, “The election is for the public and by the public but their involvement has been going down slowly. Only casting your vote is not fully participating in democracy. Making politicians accountable during and post the elections, ensuring your participation and contributing to the elections, be it financially or politically or in principle, there should be a public stake and involvement.”

Pilot said at least the Congress party wants to ensure this. “I feel the Congress has public support. We might lack resources, but we have people’s blessings. The public that is feeling cheated from the last four years understands that, if Congress comes to power we can create a better future for the youth and farmers.”

He added that in coming days, “it will be a victory of the people. I am sure that the Congress will get people’s blessings”.

About the fundraiser, the party stated that over the last few years, the Congress party has been growing with strength in Rajasthan. From the local municipal and panchayat polls to the by elections for the assembly and parliament constituencies, the Congress continues to win a growing number of seats. It is evident that the people are tired of the mis-governance, corruption and apathy of the BJP and opinion polls suggest a clear lead for the Congress in the state. Now, just months away from the crucial assembly elections in the state, the Congress party is reaching out to you, the citizens of India to participate by making a contribution, the party said.

The Congress party went on to say that the equation is now well known - it’s the BJP’s cash power versus people’s power.

During Karnataka polls earlier this year, the BJP spent over ₹300 crore on advertising alone and thousands of crores on the state election. On one hand, you have BJP’s billionaire friends giving them thousands of crores of rupees to control the media and public opinion, while on the other hand you have distressed farmers, women, jobless youth and citizens struggling to make a living.

An impenetrable Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fortress since 1993, Bali has been electing a Rajput for more than two decades now.

This is energy minister Pushpendra Singh Ranawat’s fourth stint as an MLA from Bali.

In 1993, BJP candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was elected from this constituency. He became the chief minister, but in 1998, BJP lost in Rajasthan.

Though BJP lost, Shekhawat won Bali, but he had to give up the seat as he was elected the vice-president of India. After the by-election, Ranawat was elected as the MLA.

Bali is the only assembly constituency in western Rajasthan, which has three municipalities and some vil- lage panchayats located in tribal areas of the Aravali hill range.

The constituency has around 95,000 SC/ST voters. There are also more than one lakh Rajput, Brahmin, Rajpurohit, Vaishya and other general class voters.

Also, there are more than 70,000 OBC voters and around 15,000 minority voters.

What’s interesting is that despite not having the largest vote bank, BJP candidates who have been winning since 1993 come from the Rajput community.

Political observer Amrit Lal Parihar said that even though Rajput candidates have been successful from this seat, this constituency cannot be tagged as Rajput dominated.

Muslim and Mali candidates have won previous elections from here.

The result of every election has been influenced by local factors. There are three towns in the assembly area and its voters decide the result.

Ratan Lal Chaudhary, the Congress candidate in the last elections, said this time there is anti-incumbency. “No development work has been carried out in the last four-and-a-half years. Now, with the polls months away, the construction of roads has started in some areas,” said Chaudhary. “When the Congress government was in power in the state, Ranawat had demanded that Bali should be declared as a district. However, after becoming a minister in the BJP government, he has forgotten this demand. The condition of roads in the area is poor. Farmers face power shortage,” said Chaudhary.

BJP MLA Ranawat said that he has fulfilled most of the promises. Male Female

Previous election

votes polled

Winner

P S Ranawat, BJP

Nearest rival

Ratan Lal Chaoudhary, INC Win margin: 19,588 Votes

JAIPUR: JODHPUR: I have fulfilled most of the promises and lots of development works have been done and a few have been sanctioned

PUSHPENDRA SINGH RANAWAT, legislator RAJASTHAN

“A water supply scheme worth Rs 550 crore has been approved for 224 villages. It will solve the drinking water problem in the next two years,” he said. He added that Rs 145 crore has been sanctioned to widen the Bali-Pindwara State Highway.

Ranawat said that efforts are on to declare Bali as a district.

This time, there is an antiincumbency environment against BJP MLA. In last four and a half years there was no development work in the area RATAN LAL CHAUDHARY ,

Congress leader