Cong will win bypolls with huge mandate: Pilot

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot on Tuesday exuded confidence that the party will win the upcoming bypolls in Mandawa ( Jhunjhunu) and Khinvsar (Nagaur) assembly constituencies.

He said the party organisation is working with full force and its leaders are camping in the assembly constituencies. “In these by-elections, the work of the government will be examined by the people; the party and the government is ready for this examination. Congress will win with huge mandate. When we were in opposition for five years, all by-elections were won. There is no reason that after coming in power, the party cannot win,” he said.

The two Jat dominated assembly seats fell vacant after the MLAS — Narendra Khichad ( Mandawa) a n d Be n i wal (Khinvsar) — got elected to the Lok Sabha.

The bypolls on the two seats in Rajasthan are scheduled on October 21.

In Khinvsar assembly constituency, Congress has fielded Harendra Mirdha, whereas BJP’S alliance partner RLP has fielded Narayan Beniwal. In Mandawa, Congress candidate Rita Chaudhary and BJP candidate Susheela Sigra are in the fight.

Addressing newspersons after holding a public hearing in Jaipur, Pilot said, “The state government’s foremost priority is to make the life of people better. We ought to do whatever is possible to help people at personal, social and administrative level,” he said.

The state Congress chief defended the decisions to discontinuing pension for the detainees of the 1975 Emergency and hold indirect elections of local bodies.

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said that discontinuing pension t o t he e mergency detainees was against democracy.

“People were jailed; the pension was given out of respect, then how can it be political,” said Pareek, adding that the state government’s decision was unjustified, “rather discontinuing the pension is a political move.”