The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : A Congress gamble?

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Wednesday, Apr 21, 2004

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A Congress gamble?

By Sunny Sebastian

J AIPUR APRIL 20. The appointment of Abrar Ahmed, former Union Minister, as working president of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee for the Lok Sabha election period by the Congress high command is seen as a strategic move to consolidate the Muslim votes. Muslims were the most aggrieved group with Jat leaders'--specially the outgoing MPs who are now seeking re-nomination-- working against the Muslim candidates of the Congress in the last Assembly elections resulting in their defeat in the districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Nagaur. In fact, prominent Jat leaders too lost in the Assembly elections even in places like Nagaur, the heartland of the community.

Matching the main rival, the BJP, the Congress has given seven tickets to Jats in Rajasthan where the total number of Lok Sabha seats is 25 and the Jat population could not be more than 12 per cent of the total electorate. The sustained campaign of the Samajik Nyaya Manch (Social Justice Front) during the five years which preceded the Assembly polls against the newly given backward status of the Jat community too had led to the alienation of the Jats with other communities in the Assembly polls. That is why the problems of the Congress are not seemingly over in Rajasthan just by removing the former Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, from the helm of affairs of the party. The immediate reason for the AICC naming a working president in place Narain Singh, the newly appointed PCC president-- who belongs to the Jat community-- is the latter's preoccupation with his own election in Sikar constituency. This is the first Lok Sabha election for Narain Singh, who is a sitting MLA in the State Assembly. The re-emergence of Dr.Ahmed, who had quit the Congress some time in 1997-98 to join the BJP, is part of the Congress strategy to take care of the individual communities in the current elections. The Jats and Brahmins are already in place--Nawal Kishore Sharma is the chairman of the Congress Election Campaign Committee which too has party leaders from various communities heading different departments. Dr.Abrar, who was the Minister of State for Commerce in the Narasimha Rao Government, after his return to the Congress had also unsuccessfully fought against Vasundhara Raje in Jhalawar Lok Sabha seat in 1999.It could be a give and take for the Muslims with the rest of the Congress candidates--and more with the Jat candidates--as the party has fielded a Muslim from Ajmer Lok Sabha which is not particularly a Muslim strong-hold. The party High Command overlooked some norms to choose Habibur Rahman for the seat as he had lost the recent Assembly election from Mundwa in the neighbouring Nagaur district.

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