There is a lot at stake for Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. The upcoming bypolls for seven assembly seats is a prestige battle for him as he completes one year in office next month.
Sharma was a surprise pick for the post of chief minister after BJP won the polls last year. He piped several veteran BJP leaders as party central leadership selected him to groom new leadership in the state. However, the party suffered reverses in the polls held since then, starting with an assembly bypoll on Karanpura seat, a month after his swearing in. A few months later, during the Lok Sabha polls, the party lost 11 of the 25 seats.
Now, when bypolls are being held on six seats, Sharma has a lot to worry about. The outcome of these seats will give a peek if Sharma has been accepted by the state’s electorate.
The seven seats going to polls in the state are Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chorasi, Salumber and Ramgarh.
If it’s a prestige battle for Sharma, it’s also a test for the Congress leadership as four of these seven seats were held by the party. Five of the seven seats were vacated as the MLAs were elected to Lok Sabha.
The saffron party is entering the poll with confidence after a resounding victory in neighbouring Haryana. Many of the Rajasthan leaders were involved in election management in Haryana. However, it's a tough contest in the state as the Congress had done well in the Shekhawati region dominated by Jat community and eastern Rajasthan where it had won the Dausa, Karauli-Dholpur, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur and Bharatpur Lok Sabha seats.
The Congress has fielded Amit Ola from Jhunjhunu, Ayaan Zubair from Ramgarh, who belong to the political families. Deen Dayal Bairwa from Dausa, Kastoor Chand Meena from Deoli-Uniara, Ratan Choudhary from Khinswar, Reshma Meena from Salumber (ST), and Mahesh Roat from Chorasi (ST).
While, the BJP has fielded Jagmohan Meena, brother of state minister Kirodi Lal Meena, from Dausa, Rajendra Bhambhu for Jhunjhunu, Shanta Devi Meena for Salumbar, Rajendra Gurjar for Deoli-Uniara, Sukhwant Singh for Ramgarh, Revant Ram Danga for Khinwsar.
The state always had a bipolar polity. However, smaller parties like the Bharat Tribal Party which has reach in only certain areas, too, have fielded candidates from two seats.
The Congress is banking on anti-incumbency against the one-year-old BJP government. The BJP government, meanwhile, claims that it has fulfilled most of its election promises including cracking down on the paper leak mafia.
If the Congress maintains its winning streak in the bypolls, then it would strengthen the party in the state, while discontent would rise against CM Sharma. If the BJP goes on to win more seats than the Congress, then Sharma can breathe easy.