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Thursday, May 07, 2009
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Will BJP do it without Bhargava?

Mohammed Iqbal

Hopes to win Jaipur seventh time in a row; relies on RSS network in the city

JAIPUR: The BJP faces an uphill task of protecting its bastion here following the death of the party’s six-time MP, Girdharilal Bhargava, last month while the newly carved Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha seat is witnessing a serious challenge posed by a Haryana politician — contesting as an Independent — to both the Congress and BJP nominees.

The BJP candidate, Sanganer MLA and former State Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari, expects to carry the legacy of Mr. Bhargava relying on the RSS network in the city and the established vote-bank of traders who are traditional supporters of the party.

Though Congress candidate Mahesh Joshi seems to have raised the level of contest, it remains to be seen if he would be able to break the track record of the BJP holding the prestigious seat since 1989. After delimitation, the urban seat now comprises eight State Assembly constituencies, five of which were won by the BJP and three by Congress in the December 2008 Assembly elections.

Mr. Tiwari has raked up the security issue with reference to the May 13, 2008, serial blasts in the Walled City of Jaipur, while Mr. Joshi has been campaigning with the promise of making the Pink City an education hub. Political pundits here feel that the outcome of polls would be decided on the basis of the voters’ stand vis-À-vis the more urgent local issues.

In the build-up to the polling on Thursday, the educated, middle class electorate of the Rajasthan capital has demanded the candidates’ response to issues such as scarcity of drinking water, lack of infrastructure and heavy pressure on the State’s biggest medical institution, Sawai Man Singh Hospital.

Against Mr. Tiwari’s references to internal security and economic slowdown, Mr. Joshi has focused on issues like a metro train for Jaipur, regularisation of colonies, tourism promotion, support to the jewellery business and new schemes for the underprivileged. As a trusted lieutenant of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Mr. Joshi enjoys the support of Congress workers who have all rallied behind him. On the other hand, the BJP functionaries were initially reluctant to back Mr. Tiwari in view of his not-so-comfortable relations with former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

Mr. Tiwari’s candidature may also polarise the votes of the city’s Muslim community because of his RSS background. The ruling Congress has tried to exploit this fact in its favour during the election campaign in the minority-dominated areas.

In the Jaipur Rural constituency carved out of Jaipur and Alwar districts with a multi-layered caste composition, Haryana MLA Sukhbir Singh Jaunpuria, who was active during the Gujjar agitation for reservation, is set to play the spoilsport for Congress candidate and former MLA Lal Chand Kataria. The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA from Shahpura, Rao Rajendra Singh, for the seat.

Most of the eight Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha seat are situated along NH-8 connecting Jaipur with Delhi. The development of infrastructure in the satellite towns such as Kotputli, Shahpura, Amber and Jamwa Ramgarh is a crucial issue for the floating population of the region.

Nearly 16.84 lakh voters in Jaipur and 14.44 lakh in Jaipur Rural will decide the fate of candidates at 3,118 polling booths in the two constituencies on Thursday.

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