In bastion, Devnani banks on work to face Singh challenge
POLL HEAT Showcasing smart city tag for Ajmer, education minister says development will ensure him win; Congress candidate says water crisis severe, claims people’s support
Ajmer North’s two candidates were attired in similar clothes during their door-todoor meetings on Friday. Both wore white kurta-pyjama and a traditional Rajasthani safa (turban). The only difference was the party muffler of their parties around their necks.
Meet education minister and BJP candidate Vasudev Devnani and Congress candidate Mahendra Singh Ralawata, who are pitted against each other in this star constituency of Ajmer district, which has eight assembly segments. In 2013, the BJP won all the seats in the district.
Singh, considered a pick of state Congress president and former Ajmer MP Sachin Pilot, is confident that he will break Devnani’s hold over the constituency this time. Devani had won from the seat in 2008 also when the Congress bagged 96 seats and Ashok Gehlot formed government by getting support of the Bahujan Samaj Party and independent legislators.
“People’s sentiment is with me,” Singh said, amid loud noise of drums as he entered the thin by-lane of Bhopa ki Badi on Jaipur-Ajmer highway. “Devnani has not done anything here. He has failed to fulfil any of his promises.”
Around 5 km away in Vaishali Nagar, Devnani hit back at Singh’s criticism. “Nobody had developed Ajmer as I did,” he said, listing development works he carried out in last five year as his supporters nodded in approval.
Looking visibly tired, as Devnani walked with folded hands through this colony dominated by Sindhis (his own community), the response he got was mild. Those from his community welcomed him with flower garlands and safa but some preferred to stay indoors during his padyatra as poll fever was missing in the constituency.
There are about 30,000 Sindhi voters in the constituency, who have helped Devani win three consecutive elections from here. But he claimed to have got votes of all communities in the constituency having 2.20 lakh voters, about onetenth of which are Muslims primarily living in and around the dargah of Ajmer Sharif. The constituency has sizeable voters from Gujjar, Rajput and backward communities.
Singh is a Rajput and is banking on his community to upset Devnani’s applecart. Rajputs are about 14,000 in the constituency. “There is an old saying that it is a fight between an earthen lamp and storm. This time people have decided to light up the lamp to spread light,” he said, while referring to him as lamp. “Devnani is the on the back foot and I have forced him to do padyatras.”
Considering Singh as a lightweight candidate, Devnani said his work would ensure his victory. “Ajmer is a smart city now,” he said, minutes after Singh claimed that the BJP government was not able to use the money given for developing Ajmer as a smart city. “If Devnani says this is how the smart city looks like, people of Ajmer should be ashamed,” Singh said.
Both of them agreed that water scarcity is a big issue in this city known as a gateway to the dargah and Brahma Temple in Pushkar. “The Congress did nothing for water crisis. I got steel pipelines laid and now we are bringing water from Chambal and Brahmini rivers to Bisalpur,” Devnani said. Singh was quick to counter by saying the city was receiving water “once in 96 hours”.
While the landscape of Ajmer has changed a lot in the past decade, residents said water was a burning issue. “Government changes but there have been no solution. Tall claims are made during elections but nothing happens. I hope that this time candidates come up with some concrete proposals,” said Surendra Sharma who runs a road-side tea shop near Patel Stadium.
Voting in 199 assembly constituencies in Rajasthan will take place on December 7 and votes will be counted on December 11. Election in Ramgarh in Alwar has been countermanded due to the death of a candidate.
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