In Jat bastion Churu, veteran BJP MP confident of son’s win
MIND THE GAP State unit rife with in-fighting; one camp supports Kaswan, other swears by cabinet minister Rathore
JAIPUR: Ram Singh Kaswan -- the fourth term MP from Churu – has made way for his son Rahul Kaswan in the Lok Sabha polls this time. Though not in the fray, he is confident his son would sail smoothly through the general polls from the Churu parliamentary seat.
But as things seem now, his confidence may be misplaced given the inner turmoil within the Churu BJP unit. The party is clearly divided into two groups here –one camp supporting Ram Singh Kaswan and the other owing loyalty to state cabinet minister Rajendra Rathore.
“If the BJP is able to bury its hatchet, Kaswan may win hands down but that seems easier said than done,” says Narendra Singh a local journalist.
He goes on to say, “Rathore is the de facto number two in the Vasundhara Raje government and it is an open secret in Churu that he and Kaswan do not share the best of ties now.”
May be the Narendra Modi wave will come to the rescue of the party here too and Kaswan may emerge the surprise winner.
Kaswan, however, has no doubts about winning from this seat. “BJP will fight as a united force and win the Churu seat, because the aim is to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of our country,” he says very straightforwardly.
Listing his achievements as the Member of Parliament from here, he says: “I worked hard to connect Churu with Jaipur through broad-gauge railway line but could not achieve the same with Hanumangarh. Development has always been my main plank in the elections. I have been directly in touch with the villagers over the years and sorted out their problems. I will continue to make efforts to bring water of Indira Gandhi Canal to Churu through Sidhmukh lift canal and from Haryana.
However, many of the promises made by Kaswan like connecting Churu with a national highway and many other important water supply schemes could not see the light of the day during his 2009-13 tenure as MP.
But according to reports, more than the unfulfilled promises, it is the caste equation, which may impact his prospects in the coming elections.
Situated at the north east corner of the state, Churu (bordering Haryana and Bhadra), one of the seven assembly seats in this constituency, is greatly influenced by the politics of Haryana. Since the Jats in Haryana are not happy with Congress, as their leader Om Prakash Chautala is behind the bars, their mood may impact their counterparts in the Churu too.
Churu is a Jat dominated seat with sizable amount of Muslims and Dalits. Rajputs and Brahmins are other major voters. BJP has been relying on the Jat candidate Kaswan for the last three terms while Congress had experimented with a Muslim candidate in 2009.
Ram Singh Kaswan’s son Rahul has been pitted against Abhinesh Maharshi, who is fighting on BSP ticket this time, and Congress candidate Pratap Punia, nephew of Jai Narayan Punia, BJP MLA from Taranagar. What do you expect from your MP?
We expect our MP to raise issues relevant to our area in the parliament and become a catalyst for change and development. He should be aware of the ground realities and have plenty of administrative experience.
What are the major issues in your constituencies? Drinking water is the major issue in Churu. Besides this, educational facilities and rural infrastructure are also missing. The Tal Chapar sanctuary, which has black bucks, is neglected. There is huge potential in Churu to attract foreign tourists but nobody has done anything to promote it.
Which party do you support and why?
I have not decided who to vote this time, but it may probably be BJP, as the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra
Modi has shown signs of dynamic leadership. I feel he can transform the country.
DRINKING WATER IS THE MAJOR ISSUE IN CHURU. BESIDES
THIS, EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE
ARE ALSO MISSING