In Rajasthan, it's Marwar ka Gandhi vs Maharani

By Ragini Shree Jaipur: As the Congress vs BJP electoral battle intensifies in Rajasthan – the state goes to polls on December 1 - both parties have started unveiling their cards fast. Running short of issue to take on the Congress, the BJP has made corruption its poll plank - it has just released a ‘Black Paper’ listing 100 alleged scams under the Ashok Gehlot-led government. The latter has started flaunting its people-friendly schemes, free medicine being the front runner. The BJP tried to make issues out of electricity and water shortage during its Suraaj Sankalp Yatra but the effort failed to click with the electorate. Keeping this in mind, the party has now re-strategised and is targeting the Gehlot government on the corruption front. Moreover, since there is a dearth of issues, the electoral battle is getting reduced to a direct clash of personalities - between ‘Marwar Ka Gandhi’ Ashok Gehlot and ‘Maharani’ Vasundhara Raje. Gehlot hails from Marwar region and is called Marwar Ka Gandhi for his Gandhian image. On the other hand, a royal scion, Raje is still called Maharani by the masses and her party workers even though royal titles have been abolished. Both the leaders will also have maximum say in ticket distribution and have been given free hand by the party high commands to draw election strategies for 200 constituencies. The party workers are also looking towards them to lead. However, Gehlot and Raje both face hurdles of infighting, caste equations, dissent among senior leaders, and anti-incumbency in case of the Congress. In the last assembly elections, the BJP tasted defeat solely due to internal bickerings and resentment against Raje. The BJP had secured 78 seats while Congress 96. The BJP’s vote share was 34.2 percent as against 36.8 percent of the Congress. [caption id=“attachment_1157731” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  ‘Marwar Ka Gandhi’ Ashok Gehlot and ‘Maharani’ Vasundhara Raje.[/caption] The party leadership is concerned about it and is leaving nothing to chance this time. Quoting the vote share percentage, senior leaders of the BJP often say it was never a victory for the Congress in 2008, but a self-inflicted defeat for the BJP. The leaders admit wrong ticket distribution and Raje’s autocratic behaviour, which distanced senior leaders and workers, led to the party’s defeat in 2008. Raje has tried hard to win over dissenters and visited all disgruntled senior party leaders this time. Given the fact that the resentment against her is yet to die out, it remains to be seen how her peace mission with the leaders plays out. Being unable to corner Gehlot government on local issues, the BJP has now compiled a list of alleged scams that took place during his regime. But how much impact the corruption campaign makes is yet to be seen. The BJP leaders had earlier also raised similar issues but nothing concrete came out. Analysts feel corruption allegations fly high before polls but no action follows after that and the electorate understands the ploy now. “Raje came to power in 2003 by highlighting corruption in Gehlot government and Gehlot did the same in 2008. Both had promised to get charges probed but went slow on their promises,” said a senior bureaucrat in the state government. During the Suraaj Sankalp Yatra, Raje repeatedly highlighted issues of poor law and order, increasing crime against women, insufficient power and water supply, bad condition of roads and lack of investment. “Congress has thrown the state back to backward status. Growth rate has come down, debts have increased and investment is nowhere to be seen,” she lamented. On the other hand, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot pretends to be least worried by the BJP’s tirade against him. Gehlot says he has worked for the people during five years and it is up to the public now to compare his regime with the previous regime of the BJP. The Congress is hopeful of returning to power on the basis of welfare schemes including free medicine, free diagnostics, schemes for mother and child, BPL housing, pension schemes, benefits under MNREGA, and now the Food Security scheme. Gehlot is banking on big projects like the Barmer refinery, Jaipur Metro rail, educational institutions including IIT, IIM, and AIIMS. “I don’t care what the BJP or some other party says. We have worked for the people and now it is up to the public assess performance of his government and the previous government,” he had said during his Sandesh Yatra. However, Gehlot like Raje will have to beware of dissenters and his rivals as big as former Union minister CP Joshi. The strife between Gehlot and Joshi is publicly known and this may heighten during ticket distribution. Other factor which both Gehlot and Raje have to worry about is the presence of Dausa Member of Parliament, Kirori Meena, who recently floated National People’s Party. Meena enjoys strong support from his community. A Raje detractor, who left BJP after differences with Raje, Meena is likely to eat into vote share of the BJP more as compared to the Congress. His departure from the party had dealt a severe blow to the BJP in 2008.