Campaigning in seven assembly constituencies of Rajasthan going to polls in by-elections on Wednesday drew to a close on Monday evening at a modest note in the conspicuous absence of star campaigners.

The bypolls for filling the vacancies in the state legislature from Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh, Dausa, Deoli – Uniara, Khinvsar, Salumbar (ST), and Chorasi (ST) constituencies are scheduled to be held on November 13.

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While the vacancies of the Ramgarh and Salumbar (ST) seats are caused due to the death of the sitting MLA Zuber Khan (Congress) and Amrit Lal Meena (BJP) the other five seats have been vacated by sitting members, Brijendra Singh Ola (Congress – Jhunjhunu), Murari Lal Meena (Congress – Dausa), Harish Meena (Congress – Deoli Uniara), Hanuman Beniwal (RLP – Khinvsar), and Raj Kumar Roat (BAP – Chorasi), following their election to the Lok Sabha in June last.

Congress and its INDIA allies, the RLP and BAP, held six of these seven seats of the assembly in December 2023. In view of this, the Congress party being proud defenders and the BJP being comfortable in the least stakes position should have been exuding spirited conduct in the campaign trail.

Contrary to this narrative, there seem to be cautious bids of subdued and modest efforts of charged campaigning mostly either by the provincial leaders or the second or the third lineup in the absence of the top leadership.

This phenomenon prevailed in Congress as well as the BJP. The parties, however, explain that they are out on a futurist (experimental) strategy or approach. However, these image-keepers fail to hide their gloom and despair due to the non-availability of top leadership in campaigning.

In the ruling BJP, some developments exposed the campaign managers’ despair and dilemma.

Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has maintained a distance from the campaign and the other party programmes. A couple of days ago, the party made efforts to persuade Raje to hold a mass rally in Jhunjhunu in support of party nominee Rajendra Bhamboo to no avail.

The greater dilemma the party faced was when it deliberately kept former minister Rajendra Singh Rathore away from the poll campaign in Jhunjhunu and Khinvsar. Former state president Satish Punia distanced himself from the campaign in Dausa.

Likewise, Congress enthusiasts were missing former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in these constituencies.

However, the party’s high command made him a senior election observer in poll-bound Mumbai and Konkan regions of Maharashtra. No doubt, Gehlot is needed in Maharashtra, but his home state also required campaigning by him here.

Then the main reason for the grand old party’s woes is the decision to go it alone in the by-elections in seven assembly constituencies. The move is proving counterproductive to the party as well as its former INDIA allies – the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and the Bharatiya Adiwasi Party (BAP).

Hence, both parties in public claimed to win all the poll-bound seats even as their claims seemed to be unrealistic. They are aware of the ground realities of the keenly fought unpredictable contests in most of the constituencies.

As far as arrangements for polls are concerned, 1.93 million voters are eligible to cast ballots at the 1955 polling booth to decide the fate of 69 contestants in 7 assembly constituencies.

Adequate security arrangements are made with the deployment of over 9,000 security personnel from Central Armed Police Forces, RSRAC, Rajasthan Police, and Home Guards.