Rajasthan Polls 2018: Will BJP be able to overcome the deep-rooted resentment by Dalits?

According to the 2016 NCRB report, Rajasthan accounts for the third-highest number of crimes involving atrocities against the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), with Jaipur accounting for more than half the number of such crimes in metropolitan cities.

An interesting statistic that came out of that report was that Rajasthan was the only state that disposed of 38 such cases using the method of plea bargaining. A total of 1,063 cases were disposed of by the Rajasthan police in 2016 for want of evidence.

This is not the only indicator of the growing resentment that the Dalit community has against the ruling BJP government in the state.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had read down the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, saying a preliminary inquiry would be conducted before registering an FIR against alleged perpetrators and that the accused will now have a right to seek anticipatory bail. This enraged the Dalits, triggering mass protests across the country.

The tremendous anger in the Dalit community of Rajasthan was mobilized into aggressive protests on April 2 and nationwide bandhs. According to The Caravan, 311 FIRs were filed against people belonging to the SC/ST community after April 2, and none of them have been withdrawn.

The incident may have reminded the community of the Dangawas violence of 2014. In May 2014, there was a dispute between the Meghwals (belonging to Scheduled Caste) and the Jats over a 15-acre plot of land in the Dangawas village of Nagaur district. The dispute escalated quickly into a violent altercation, killing five Dalits, who claimed to be the caretakers of that land.

At that time, Meghwals ran from pillar to post seeking justice, but in vain. In fact, 16 of the 32 MLAs of seats reserved for SCs are Meghwals. Yet, none of them allegedly lent their support to the community at that time, including the MLA of Dangawas.

Rajasthan’s Dalits comprise around 18 percent of the total population, out of which Meghwals constitute more than 50 percent. The Meghwals are concentrated in the central and western part of the state.

Meanwhile, the other half of the Dalit community comprises the Bairwas, the Raigars, and the Jatavs who are concentrated in the eastern districts that border Uttar Pradesh. Besides, more than 20 percent of the community is urban and comprises the entrepreneurial Khatiqs, the Valmiki and the Jingar sub-castes.

Amongst these, Meghwals have been the most vocal about their exasperation with the ruling dispensation, and are most likely to vote for the Congress. The voting patterns of the Jatavs is similar to that of their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and they are likely to vote for Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party. While the urban Dalits are more inclined towards the saffron party, the Bairwas are torn between the Congress and the BJP.

The BJP, it seems, has taken cognizance of the issue and is treading on the path of course correction. As a part of their outreach programme, the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government announced a loan waiver amounting to Rs 114 crore in September this year.

However, the Dalits are piqued with their scanty representation in the higher judiciary and education sector, and the saffron party will have to work really hard to earn back the Dalit vote.

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Amit shah Live : BJP president to visit poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Sunday

Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh is seeking re-election from his known bastion the Rajnandgaon assembly constituency.

BJP president Amit Shah will visit Chhattisgarh on Sunday, November 4 and address several public meetings in the state where Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 12 and 20.

BJP chief, who had visited Chhattisgarh last month in Bilaspur region and also Raipur, will be given a “grand welcome” by the party leaders on his arrival at Raipur.

In the afternoon, he will address a public rally at Ambagarh Chowki and Khujji Vidhan Sabha in Rajnandgaon district.

Chief Minister Raman Singh is seeking re-election from his known bastion the Rajnandgaon assembly constituency.

According to BJP sources here, Mr Shah will address public gathering at Sadak Atariya, Khairagarh Vidhan Sabha in Rajnandgaon district.

During his last visit to Chhattisgarh, BJP national president had addressed a meeting of party’s intellectual cell in Raipur and almost staged a ‘surgical strike’ on Congress when the working president of the grand old outfit Ramdayal Uikey was roped in to ‘rejoin’ the BJP.

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Congress releases final list of 19 candidates for Chhattisgarh polls

The Congress on Friday released its final list of 19 candidates for Chhattisgarh elections, bringing to the fore differences between the state leadership.

Party sources in Raipur said state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel, an MLA from Pattan, is miffed over selection of candidates in his home district of Durg.

Leaders in Baghel camp are blaming poll in-charge PL Punia for denial of tickets to his loyalists. Former National Commission for Schedule Castes (NCSC) chief Punia, however, denied any differences between him and Baghel. He dubbed such reports as “false” and “baseless” and stated that Baghel was in Delhi to finalise the list and then left for Rajnandagaon for elections.
The party first announced Pratima Chandrakar’s name from Durg Rural seat but later substituted her with Congress MP Tamradhwaj Sahu, whose name figured in the last list announced on Thursday. Chandrakar was Baghel’s nominee since she happened to be daughter of his mentor, said Congress sources close to the party’s state president.

A Congress leader, however, stated that party high command vetoed in favour of Punia owing to feedback they had got from internal survey on candidates. Party wanted to give representation to Sahu, a member of the Congress Working Committee, to send a message to OBCs.

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Chhattisgarh Polls : Scrutiny of nominations held for final phase of elections; Monday is last day of withdrawal

In Chhattisgarh, scrutiny of nominations for the second phase of assembly elections took place today.

AIR correspondent reports, in Chhattisgarh, more than two thousand six hundred nominations were filed by the candidates in 72 assembly segments, which are going for poll in second phase.

Yesterday was the last day for filing of nomination papers. On the last day, over one thousand three hundred nominations were filed.

In last assembly elections in the year 2013, one thousand eighty two aspirants had filed their nomination papers from these 72 constituencies.

More than one crore 53 lakh voters, including 76 lakh females, are eligible to exercise their franchise in second phase.

The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is November five. Vikalp Shukla, AIR News, Raipur

Chhattisgarh has 90 constituencies. Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on November 12th and 20th.

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MP Polls : Big setback for BJP in MP as CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law joins Congress

In a big setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law Sanjay Singh joined the Congress party on Saturday. Madhya Pradesh assembly elections will be held on 28 November to elect members of the 230 constituencies.

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is seeking 4th term while the Indian National Congress is hoping to comeback to power in the state after 15 years.

Meanwhile, a Dalit leader from MP Congress Premchand Guddu joined the BJP yesterday. Guddu joined the saffron party in the presence its senior leaders from the state, including Narendra Singh Tomar, Thaawarchand Gehlot and Kailash Vijayvargiya, and hit out at the Congress as a party of “raja and maharaja”.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan have been working for the poor, the Congress is being run as an “elite class” with no concern for Dalits and the downtrodden, he said.

Guddu was considered close to Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijay Singh and had been feeling sidelined in the party.

Few days before, Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia entered into a verbal spat over ticket distribution and choice of candidates in presence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. While Jyotiraditya Scindia is the chief of the campaign committee of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, Digvijaya Singh is the coordination committee chief for the Madhya Pradesh assembly election.

However, the former CM refuted media reports about the infighting and said that the Congress is united to fight and defeat the corrupt BJP government.

According to media inputs, party members have been instructed to not talk about the ongoing infighting between Singh and Scindia.

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Telangana Polls : Only TRS can ensure Muslim welfare: Mahipal Reddy

TRS candidate from Patancheru Assembly constituency Gudem Mahipal Reddy has said that only the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government can ensure overall development of the Muslim community in the State.

Mahipal Reddy, who had an exclusive meeting with minorities in the course of his electioneering in the constituency, said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had initiated several welfare schemes and development programmes for the benefit of the Muslim community within a short span of four years. The former TRS MLA from Patancheru said the government initiatives had already brought about a perceptible change in the community’s life. The constituency has sizeable minority votes, accounting for 40,000 of the total electorate of 2.8 lakh.

Accusing the Congress of creating communal tensions in old Hyderabad to suit their needs of power politics in the past, Reddy said Chandrashekhar Rao had ensured peace and harmony between communities.

Prior to the meeting with Muslim voters, Reddy visited each and every colony and village in the constituency to mobilise the cadres for the meeting. Stating that construction of a ‘shadikhana’ (marriage hall) was nearing completion in Patancheru, he assured that each and every mandal under Patancheru Assembly constituency would have a ‘shadikhana’. Pointing out that he had promised to take up construction of a ‘shadikhana’ in a two-acre plot on the premises of Idgah in Ameenpur mandal headquarters at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore, Reddy said that he would fulfil the promise in the next tenure.

He said that he would also ensure construction of boundary walls for all the idgahs, dargas, ashoorkhanas and other Muslim religious places to protect them. Following the request of the party workers, Mahipal Reddy said he would set up an exclusive minority cell at the MLA camp office so that the citizens can visit his office any time to know the existing government schemes. The cell will also assist them on how to avail them.

Earlier, a huge rally was taken out prior to the meeting. A record number of women took part in the meeting as several Muslim leaders from the party and TRS took part.

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Telangana Polls : TRS to set up election cells

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will convene a meeting with the Election Cells committee members in Hyderabad on Saturday in this regard.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had decide to establish district-wise ‘election cells’ across the State to help the party nominees strictly follow guidelines of Election Commission of India with regard to poll campaign. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will convene a meeting with the Election Cells committee members in Hyderabad on Saturday in this regard.

The TRS leadership has decided to set up the election cells comprising advocates, chartered accountants and also party leaders for better coordination and monitoring of the activities of its candidates as per the model code of conduct. They will also assist the candidates in filing reports on their respective election expenses on a daily basis. These election cells will also help the candidates respond to the EC notices in case of any violations.

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Telangana Polls : KCR to give campaign ideas to TRS candidates Today

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is likely to give necessary instructions to all the 105 candidates of Telangana Rashtra Samithi on the strategy to be adopted in the ensuing elections at Telangana Bhavan today.

According to the TRS leaders all the 105 candidates and members of Parliament have been asked by the party to attend the today’s meeting.

The chief minister would be chairing a meeting with the candidates at Telangana Bhavan and he would give necessary instructions on the strategy to be adopted during the campaign and the approach they should have while campaigning. He is likely to give some campaign ideas to the candidates.

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Telangana Polls : Trader’s body pledge to work for TRS victory in Khammam

Members of the Khammam Chamber of Commerce and Trade have pledged their support to TRS this elections. The body led by its president Koppu Naresh passed a unanimous resolution to vote for the party nominee P Ajay Kumar.

“It is for the first time in the history of the traders’ body to pledge support openly to any political party. It indicates the level of acceptance the candidate has got among traders,” the Chamber’s central executive member Sunkara Narasimha Rao told Telangana Today.

There are 24 different wings in the Chambers of Commerce and all have collectively decided to work for TRS victory in the ensuing elections, he revealed.

He said he personally had been gathering support for Ajay Kumar by making phone calls and convincing all those who are visiting his shop in Khammam. As many as 3,000 persons have consented to vote for Ajay Kumar.

According to him, Ajay Kumar has been known for his quick response whenever the public brings any problem to his notice. “Such practice, I believe, may earn votes for him in the elections,” Narasimha Rao explained..

Unhappy elders

While majority of the voters expressed consent to support the TRS nominee in response to his request during electioneering, some elders surprised him by asking what he did for them.
“Please tell us sir, what you have done for us. After last election, I have never seen you here,” Laxmaiah, an elderly man, asked Ajay Kumar at Gandhi Nagar, after the latter gave him a pamphlet and asked for his support.

The candidate explained his development work during the past four years and sought his support.

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TRS will play important role at Centre after polls: Rama Rao

Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and minister in the caretaker government K T Rama Rao Friday expressed confidence that his party would play an important role in government formation after the Lok Sabha elections next year.

“Jayashankar (late ideologue of Telangana) said take not by begging but by dictating. I am confident that, whoever is there at the Centre in 2019, the prime minister would not be there without a role for TRS, your blessings, the support of Telangana people,” he said, addressing a meeting at Sircilla near Karimnagar.

Rama Rao, son of TRS president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said a person supported by TRS would become the prime minister. He also said the TRS would take measures for the welfare of weavers in the state.

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