Rajasthan polls 2018: Some interesting facts from history

Two hundred Assembly seats in Rajasthan will go to elections on December 7 and the results will be declared on December 11, along with those in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana. Rajasthan is one of those few states in the country that still sees a stable two-party competition and the power changing hands every five years. Though the state had once been a bastion of the Congress, the BJP tasted success in this state for the first time in 1990 and he two parties have been in and out of power over the last 28 years, especially since the 1993 election.

In the 2013 Assembly election, the BJP had a sweeping victory by winning 163 out of 200 seats, while the Congress won just 21. The National People’s Party won four seats while the BSP won three seats. Here are some interesting facts about Assembly elections in Rajasthan:

–Rajasthan has gone to polls 14 times since 1952 when the first election was held and of these, the Congress has won nine times and the BJP four. The Janata Party formed government once (1977).

–The Congress had one-sided dominance in the state’s politics till 1977 when it lost power for the first time and the Janata Party came to power, just as it had at the Centre. Bhairon Singh Sekhawat became Rajasthan’s first non-Congress chief minister. He was also the state’s first BJP chief minister who took office in 1990.

–The Congress returned to power in 1980 and continued till 1990 when the BJP came to power for the first time. However, President’s Rule was imposed in the state in the wake of the Babri demolition in December 1992 and it continued for a year when Sekhawat returned to power. It is so far the only time that the BJP came to power in Rajasthan by winning two consecutive elections (1990 and 1993).

–In 1990, the BJP won 85 out of 200 seats while in 1993, its tally went up to 95.

–The two parties have come to power every five years since then. While Sekhawat served between 1993 and 1998, Ashok Gehlot was the chief minister between 1998 and 2003 and 2008 and 2013. Current Chief Miniser Vasundhara Raje served between 2003 and 2008 and then between 2013 and 2018. Can she match Sekhawat’s feat of becoming chief minister for consecutive terms?

–The Congress succeeded to win 150-plus seats in the Assembly election for the first time in 1998 when Gehlot became the CM.

–The BJP’s show of winning 163 seats in the 2013 edition has been the most emphatic in the state’s history. In 2003, it came to power by winning 120 seats.

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Rajasthan elections: Soured ties with Rajputs key hurdle in Vasundhara Raje’s poll fight

Polling to the 200 Assembly seats is to take place on December 7. Rajputs account for about 12 per cent of the state’s population and wield influence in at least two dozen Assembly seats.

As Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje battles what is being perceived as an intense anti-incumbency factor to retain power, soured ties between her and an influential Rajput community seem to be an unresolved obstacle for the ruling BJP.

Relationship between Rajputs, a traditional support base of the BJP since Jana Sangh days, and the Raje-led government has been on a downslide since 2016 and the recent move of Manvendra Singh, MLA and son of former Union Minister and Rajput leader Jaswant Singh, to join the Congress has worsened it, BJP leaders admitted.

Party leaders pointed out a series of events, including the Rajmahal land row, the Padmaavat controversy, the encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh and Raje’s opposition to the BJP central leadership’s choice of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as state unit chief have left a deep dent on the party’s acceptability within the community. “The damage is irreparable, at least before the polls,” said a BJP leader from Rajasthan.

Polling to the 200 Assembly seats is to take place on December 7. Rajputs account for about 12 per cent of the state’s population and wield influence in at least two dozen Assembly seats. “They have been traditional supporters of the BJP. The contribution of Rajput leader and former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was a three-term CM, was crucial for the BJP’s electoral successes,” the leader said.

The current government has three cabinet ministers and a junior minister from the Rajput community.

The community’s distancing from the government started when Padmini Devi of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur took out a public protest against sealing of the main entrance of Rajmahal Palace during an anti-encroachment drive. Padmini Devi is the mother of BJP MLA Diya Kumari, who had joined the party ahead of the last Assembly polls. Many in the Rajput community did not appreciate the way government officials locked the entrance to the palace and did not forgive Raje for the “humiliation” the family faced.

The simmering anger turned into rage when Anandpal Singh, a gangster from the Ravana Rajput community, was killed in an encounter. Despite the fact that Ravana Rajputs are considered by Rajputs as belonging to an inferior caste, the killing triggered protests, with Rajput bodies demanding a CBI probe. When the government agreed to a CBI probe, it sent about 115 cases against him to the agency. The already-soured ties between the community and the government slipped further down.

Then came the protests over film Padmaavat. The community aggressively opposed the film and was upset that the government allowed it to be shot. The ban on the film at the time of release did not satisfy them.
The Rajputs were also angry at Raje’s opposition to Gajendra Shekhawat as state party chief. The BJP central leadership had chosen Shekhawat primarily to placate the Rajputs, but Raje was adamant and Rajya Sabha MP Madanlal Saini, an OBC leader, got the post.

The latest development in this regard was Manvendra Singh joining the Congress. Political observers say Jaswant Singh is still respected and regarded as a top leader of the community and Manvendra’s move would appeal to the Rajputs upset with the “ill-treatment” of Jaswant Singh.

The Singh family’s ties with Raje and BJP worsened after the party denied ticket to Jaswant from Barmer in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Manvendra was suspended from the party for campaigning for his father in that election in which Jaswant contested against BJP’s official candidate. However, Manvendra continued to represent Sheo as an MLA.

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AAP to contest all seats in Rajasthan

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday announced its first list of 63 candidates for the Assembly election in Rajasthan, while inviting suggestions from the public on its draft manifesto, which would also be released shortly. The party would contest from all the 200 seats in the State.

AAP State coordinator Devendra Shastri said here that three of the declared candidates would shortly be changed for various reasons. The lists comprising the rest of the candidates would be released after the meetings of the party’s campaign committee to be held during the next few days.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would address a public rally at Ramlila Maidan here on October 28 amid indications that several disgruntled leaders of the both the BJP and Congress might join the AAP at the event. Mr. Shastri said the rally would be a significant occasion for spelling out the party’s vision and policies for Rajasthan.

Mr. Shastri said the Jaipur Municipal Corporation had “deliberately delayed” the allotment of venue for the rally on the pretext of seeking permission from the Election Commission. “The municipal officers, under pressure from the BJP government, harassed the AAP functionaries for more than a week. There is no provision for getting the EC’s permission for allotment of a place for a public meeting,” he said.

The AAP State unit was in a confident mood after the BJP leader and Kisan Mahapanchayat founder, Rampal Jat, joined the party earlier this week. Mr. Jat, a former BJP general secretary, said the ruling party had failed to keep its promises made to the farmers and had “completely ignored” the rural populace facing difficulties in all spheres of life.

The 63 candidates declared by AAP so far include farmers’ ideologue Giriraj Singh Khangarot (Malpura), National Council member Sunil Agiwal (Bhilwara), chartered accountant M.P. Choyal (Ladpura), medico Bharat Gupta (Malviya Nagar, Jaipur) and activist Ashok Jain (Anta). Mr. Shastri, a former journalist, will contest the polls from Civil Lines constituency in Jaipur.

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Modi in Rajasthan: PM accuses Congress of playing ‘vote bank politics’, lists Vasundhara Raje govt’s triumphs

Accusing the Congress of working for only one family and practising vote-bank politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked the people to keep it away from power, breaking the state’s tradition of alternating power between the Congress and the BJP every five years.

Addressing a meeting marking the completion of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s month-long “journey for pride”, he said “while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not have the habit of lying as it works on the mantra of ‘sarva jana hitay‘ and ‘sarva jana sukhay’ (interest of all), the opposition is fond of doing vote-bank politics”.

“Those who do vote bank politics, they enjoy the issue of Hindu-Muslim, old-youth, forward-backward, this caste that caste and man and woman,” he said in his address to party activists in this religious town, where the BJP lost a prestigious Lok Sabha bye-election earlier this year.

“And this vote bank politics is not limited to elections, but it keeps on going for long.””Wherever they get the opportunity they try to divide the society,” Modi said about Congress adding that it was easy to divide but very hard to unite. “And the BJP believes in uniting the society,” he said.

He said that the result of the vote-bank politics was that the poor who voted for them keep on cursing them for five years.

Modi also said that Rajasthan has a tradition of alternating between Congress and BJP every five years and expressed confidence that this time that tradition would be broken.

“This time it should be changed. This time, let us keep Congress away from power in the state and elect the BJP,” he said.

“The BJP government in the state believes in accountability and thus we believe in presenting the report card of the works our governments has done, whether it’s Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh.

“The BJP never hides its face while giving the report card to the people. But the Congress keeps on spreading lies,” Modi said.

“For 60 years the Congress followed the tradition of vote-bank politics,” he said.

Accusing Congress leaders and workers of worshipping one family, Modi said: “When I came here, (Chief Minister) Vasundhara Raje told me that the Congress leaders are not present in the Assembly, they do not raise any questions, they do not participate in debates.

“They do not do anything like this because they are busy serving one family, they are busy in worshipping one family.

“For them their high command is one family, but for the BJP our high command is seven and half crore people of the state. Should such forces be allowed again to come to power?” asked Modi and answered himself, “We don’t have to allow them to come to power again.”

Modi said that the Congress which failed in the government in the last 60 years also failed as the opposition.

“Earlier I had said that there should be a clever opposition, dedicated to people, they should have sensibility of people’s problem, keep a tab on the government’s works, participate in debate and give ideas to the government.

“But it was unfortunate that they have not only failed in the government but they have also failed as an opposition.

“They don’t do hard work, thus they have taken the help of lies and false propaganda. And when we dare them for a debate they flee,” he added.

Modi said that after 60 years, the country is in the right direction. “And they should not be given another chance,” he said.

Attacking Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his hug in Lok Sabha, Modi said, “There are people who think that they can change the course of their politics with a hug.”

Modi also asked the Congress what had stopped them from increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for the farmers.

“Why didn’t you increase the MSP for farmers? Who stopped you from doing so?

“We (BJP) did that. We increased the MSP of the farmers and now you (Congress) people have a problem with the Modi government that how I did this. And now as nothing is left for the Congress they are, every morning, manufacturing a new lie,” he said.

Modi also said that about Rs 62,000 crore will go to farmers every year after every farming season. “Congress never thought for farmers. Farmers have now insurance for crops like never before. So they never dare to debate over development. Why is the Congress not fighting election on facts?” he asked.

Highlighting the works of his government, Modi said that it brought relief for women against triple talaq. “We do not discriminate on the basis of religion. I thank Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments for death sentence against rapists. Now the justice has been fast-tracked. And the demons with such mentality should be scared,” he said.

He also said that now 30 percent women are working in government departments, which is not seen in many of the developed nation yet. “Our government also gave maternity leave for 26 weeks,” he said.

Hailing the Rajasthan chief minister for implementing the Central Government’s task of electrifying all villages in the state, he said, “When Vasundhara Raje came to power, about 13 lakh people were living in the 18th century (darkness). We had promised electrification for all. We provided electricity to 13 lakh people. Those who are yet to get electricity, the Rajasthan government and the Centre are working for them,” he said.

Modi also said that about two lakh hectare will have irrigation facilities through water from Chambal. The work on the technical survey in 13 districts are on and after that we shall start the work so that 40 percent people of the state will get sweet water to drink,” he said.

The 200-member Rajasthan assembly will go to polls on December 7, where the BJP is in power. The term of the Rajasthan Assembly expires on 20 January, 2019.

Slamming the Congress for questioning the second anniversary of the surgical strike as Parakram Parv, Modi said: “When last week I came to Rajasthan to pay tribute to the brave soldiers, they spread lies that I was going to sound the poll bugle.

“But I was here to celebrate the valour of our armed forces, I was here to celebrate the second anniversary of the surgical strike. “

He said that the surgical strike which was carried out in September 2016 showed the valour of our soldiers.

“But what has happened to Congress? Has politics pushed them to such a low that they belittle the surgical strike? They should feel ashamed for questioning the surgical strike,” he said.

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No chief minister has returned to power in Rajasthan in 25 years

Rajasthan has alternated between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in the last five assembly elections. Voters here haven’t elected the same party to power for two terms in a row. This is the Congress’s biggest advantage and BJP’s biggest challenge in this year’s assembly elections.

The Congress is upbeat over its recent victories in bypolls to two Lok Sabha — Alwar and Ajmer — and one assembly (Mandalgarh) seats. The seats were held by the BJP. In terms of assembly segments, this translates to 17 seats, including eight each in the two Lok Sabha constituencies.

The Congress hopes to carry the momentum into the state polls riding on anti-incumbency sentiment. However, it also faces a leadership challenge as people are unclear about who will lead the government if the party is voted to power. While state Congress chief Sachin Pilot is being credited for the party’s bypoll victories, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot enjoys mass popularity. The party hasn’t named a chief ministerial face.

The BJP won a record 163 seats in the 200-member assembly in 2013 elections. The party, however, is facing unrest among its workers and traditional vote banks such as the Rajputs and the Gujjars. Party cadres feel ignored claiming that chief minister Vasundhara Raje remained inaccessible to them.

After the bypoll losses, Raje started an outreach initiative and travelled across the state, first holding Jan Samvads (public meetings) at different locations and then launching the Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra to showcase the work done by her government. Rajasthan was also high on the agenda of BJP president Amit Shah, who held several meetings with party workers. Shah told the party workers to keep their dissatisfaction and other issues aside and work to break the myth that no party can win Rajasthan twice in a row.

Though the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has announced that it will contest all seats in Rajasthan, there has been little scope for a third force in the state. Non-Congress, non-BJP parties have never got more than 10% of the votes.

Former faculty member of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Manohar Lal Yadav said the BJP knows that its electoral prospects are not too good in Rajasthan. “The party is aware, after the rout in by-elections, about its poor show in the state. It needs more time to campaign; that is why probably the polling in Rajasthan has been kept to the last and there’s a gap of nine days between voting in MP and Rajasthan,” he said.

Rajasthan and Telangana go to polls on December 7. Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram will vote on November 28 will Chhattisgarh will have two-phase polls on November 12 and 20.

Main issues

Farm crisis: Rajasthan, for the first time, witnessed suicides by farmers following crop failure and low costs for the produce in the local markets. Farmers protested in several parts of the state and the police used force against them in some places.

Governance and accessibility: The election will be a test for Vasundhara Raje’s special focus on empowering women through social schemes such as the Bhamashah card meant to provide free medical care for the poor. The BJP has faced flak for the chief minister, senior ministers and MLAs being inaccessible to people.

Caste indifference: Four communities — Gujjars, Jats, Meenas and Rajputs —who together can decide who’ll form next government, have flexed muscle before the polls making several demands.

Key players

Vasundhara Raje (BJP): The chief minister is leading the BJP’s pack. She faces people’s anger in an election in which one of the slogans is ‘Modi tujhse bair nahi, Vasundhara teri khair nahi’ (We have no malice towards you, Modi, but won’t spare Vasundhara)

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (BJP): The party MP from Jodhpur was Centre’s choice for the state unit chief’s post, but Raje stalled his appointment. Shekhawat was then made convenor of the election management committee and Amit Shah has chosen him to be one of the six lieutenants he is sending out to get a ground report that will form the basis of candidate selection.

Ashok Gehlot (Congress): The former CM is Congress’ most popular face in Rajasthan. He has been made chairman of the coordination committee for all election panels. Gehlot is seen as a political adviser to Congress president Rahul Gandhi

Sachin Pilot (Congress): The state party chief is credited with steering the Congress to three major bypoll victories in February this year. Since the 2013 elections, the party has won 25 assembly segments in bypolls under his leadership.

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Election dates for Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana out, results on Dec 11

HIGHLIGHTS

Chhattisgarh will go to polls in two phases on November 12 and November 20
Telangana and Rajasthan will go to polls together on December 7
MP and Mizoram will go to polls together on November 28

The Election Commission of India today announced election dates for assembly elections in five states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana.

Chief Election Commissioner, OP Rawat, announced the election dates for the five states.

Election in Chhattisgarh will take place in two phases. Election in phase one (18 seats) will take on November 12. For the second phase (72 seats) voting will be held on November 20.

For Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram voting will be held in a single phase on November 28.

For Rajasthan and Telangana voting will be held in a single phase on December 7.

Results for all the five states will be out on December 11.

These five assembly elections would be crucial for the BJP as it gears up for the Lok Sabha election next year. The BJP is in power in three of these states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. While the Congress is in power in Mizoram, Telangana Rashtra Samithi was in power in Telangana before the assembly was dissolved.

The election code of conduct comes into play with immediate effect in these states.

Here is the complete schedule for assembly elections in the five states:

CHHATTISGARH

Elections will be held in two phases. Phase one includes the left-wing extremism-affected areas with 18 seats and phase two includes 72 seats.

Phase 1

Last date of filing nomination – October 23

Date of scrutiny – October 24

Last date for withdrawal of candidature – October 26

Date of voting – November 12

Counting date – December 11

Phase 2

Last date of filing nomination – November 2

Date of scrutiny – November 3

Last date for withdrawal of candidature – November 5

Date of voting – November 20

Counting date – December 11

MADHYA PRADESH and MIZORAM

Election schedule in Madhya Pradesh (230 seats) and Mizoram (40 seats) will be the same. Elections will be held in a single phase in both states.

Last date of filing nomination – November 9

Date of scrutiny – November 12

Last date for withdrawal of candidature – November 14

Date of voting – November 28

Counting date – December 11

TELANGANA and RAJASTHAN

Telangana and Rajasthan will go to polls together. Elections will be held in a single phase in both states.

Last date of filing nomination – November 19

Date of scrutiny – November 20

Last date for withdrawal of candidature – November 22

Date of voting – December 7

Counting date – December 11

Assembly Election Rallies Live Updates: PM Modi In Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi To Address Rally In Madhya Pradesh

With the Election Commission expected to announce the dates for Assembly Elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh among other dates, political parties are sending their star campaigners to these states to better their chances in the upcoming elections. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Rajasthan today, his political rival Rahul Gandhi will visit Madhya Pradesh.

BJP chief Amit Shah will also head to Madhya Pradesh, where he is expected to make multiple visits over the next few days to meet party workers, respective spokespersons of the two parties said. The Congress chief will arrive in Morena via Gwalior to take part in Ekta Parishad conclave, a party spokesperson said. He will proceed to Jabalpur on the same day where he will perform’ Narmada Puja’ at Gwari Ghat and later hold a roadshow.

Amit Shah will visit Indore today where he will meet party workers from Indore and Ujjain regions, a BJP spokesperson said. He will visit Gwalior on October 9 to meet party workers.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is in Madhya Pradesh for a day-long visit to the poll-bound state. Here, posters can be seen in Jabalpur where Rahul Gandhi will perform a Narmada Puja at Gwari Ghat today. He will also address a public gathering in Jabalpur. This is Rahul Gandhi’s third visit to Madhya Pradesh in less than 20 days.

With an eye on assembly polls due later this year, BJP president Amit Shah in Indore will formally launch the party’s mass contact campaign in the crurcial Malwa-Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh to woo voters especially traders, tribals and farmers. Amit Shah will launch the ‘Maha Jansampark Abhiyan’ from historic Rajwada area and walk for nearly 15 minutes up to Krishnapura Chhatri area to appeal people in the dense commercial area to vote for the BJP.

The Congress had won the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat by defeating BJP’s Ramswaroop Lamba who is the son of former Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat in the bypolls held earlier in 2018. The seat went to bypoll after the then sitting MP Sanwar Lal Jat died due to cardiac arrest last year.

Poll-bound Rajasthan’s Ajmer district has eight assembly constituencies and seven of them are represented by BJP MLAs while the Congress has one seat of Nasirabad. The BJP, which had lost the Ajmer Lok Sabha constituency to Congress in bypolls held earlier this year, is trying to build a favourable atmosphere and mood among the voters by holding the rally of PM Modi, who had addressed an election rally in Ajmer in 2013 also.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Ajmer in Rajasthan today, marking the conclusion of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s state-wide ‘Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra’ which she had begun from Rajsamand’s Charbhujanath temple.

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Rahul forms 9 Panels to manage Rajasthan polls

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot will head the coordination panel and state party chief Sachin Pilot will chair the state election committee.

A day after Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati ruled out an alliance with the Congress for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, it seems to be business as usual for the grand old party. Gearing up for the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday set up as many as nine committees to manage its campaign in the poll-bound state.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot will be heading the coordination panel and state party chief Sachin Pilot will chair the state election committee. This seems to be an effort to strike a balance between the two chief ministerial aspirants in the state.

The need to accommodate all the sections in the party seems to be a major priority for Mr Gandhi as most senior leaders have been given charge of specific committees. For instance, All India Congress Committee secretary Harish Chaudhary will head the party’s manifesto committee, while Member of Parliament from Alwar, Raghu Sharma, will chair the campaign committee.

Raghu Meena, who is deputy leader of the opposition in the Rajasthan assembly, will be the convenor of the state election committee.

All senior leaders from the state are part of the state election committee, including, Girija Vyas, Mohan Prakash and CP Joshi.

Dr Joshi, a former union minister, will also head the publication and publicity committee.

Lachhmangarh legislator Govind Singh Dotasra will head the media and coordination committee, while former Lalsot legislator Parsadilal Meena will take care of the transport and accommodation committee. Rajasthan Mahila Congress chief Rehana Riaz has been appointed as head of the protocol committee. The disciplinary committee will be headed by former Rajasthan education minister Bhanwarlal Meghwal.

The assembly elections in Rajasthan are due later this year. The state assembly has 200 members of which only 26 are from the Congress. However, the party’s fortunes appear to be improving as was evident in its huge victory in the by-elections to the Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha constituencies and the Mandalgarh assembly seat in February this year.

The Congress is reportedly confident of winning Rajasthan and sources say it is for this reason the party did not actively try to woo Mayawati for an alliance in the state.

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