With the ruling BJP and the arch rivals Congress both experimenting on ‘futuristic strategy’ bringing on forefront newer younger provincial leadership for campaigning and election management the battlefields for November 13 by-election in seven assembly segments in Rajasthan are all set to produce keen and close contests.
The perennial star campaigners, stalwarts of both parties including former Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje, their contemporaries and ministerial colleagues of late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, besides Gehlot and Raje either were not visible at all or showed up themselves only once or twice.
Gehlot has attended nomination rallies of the Congress nominees in Dausa, Deoli – Uniara and Chorasi (ST). Contrary to this, senior BJP leader, two time CM Raje continued to maintain her absence from almost all party engagements. While the saffron dispensation’s parliamentary board considered for approval the names sent by block/district level committees through the party’s state level panel, the grand old party high command in Delhi decided to listen to word from the local party MPs.
Both the parties, apparently could not duly synchronise their moves – steps with political compulsions. Particularly, the move of the Congress to walk out of poll alliance with Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and Bharatiya Adivasi Party (BAP) has already changed the character and fate of the contests in at least 3 – 4 of the seven poll bound segments.
Moves by the ruling BJP although based on buoyancy and optimism generally after party’s impressive victory in Haryana assembly polls ,also demonstrate over – confidence over the part of state leadership. In fact, in evenly strong political space of the Gehlot- led Congress and Modi – Shah guided BJP in this bipolar state, there was no viable scope for taking undue liberty for trying too much experiments until the assembly polls in December 2023. However, the outcome of the assembly polls last year proved to be game changer as the saffron party got clear-cut mandate of the people to form next government in the state.
So whatever edge the saffron party had after formation of its government in December last, the grand old party mitigated the impact through its subsequent electoral victories. Likewise, the Congress also suffered erosion in its advantage by making risky move against its alliance with RLP and BAP. Hence, in the given situation keen and tough contests are on cards in all 7 constituencies -Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh, Dausa, Deoli – Uniara, Khinvsar, Salumbar(ST) and Chorasi(ST) the next week.