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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
JODHPUR: Among the 200 Rajasthan Assembly constituencies, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s bastion of Sardarpura is one of the most important and will be in the spotlight as he faces off against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dr Mahendra Singh Rathore.
Sardarpura constituency and Gehlot’s name go hand in hand as it was from here that he became a member of parliament five times between 1980 to 1998. Following this the incumbent CM entered Rajasthan’s politics to become a member of the legislative assembly from the constituency five times. This will mark his sixth potential claim to victory from the same constituency.
This time around Sardarpura may see a massive change in fortune, as the BJP has said that it is a myth of Sardarpura being a Congress bastion. The saffron party has progressed to contest on Gehlot’s ‘bastion’ with the help of the Modi wave which also resulted in them winning over the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, from the Jodhpur constituency.
EXCLUSIVE ONLY ON THE NEW INDIAN |
In an exclusive interview with The New Indian, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) proclaimed that BJP will register a thumping victory in #RajasthanElections2023. He alleged that Congress has set new benchmark of corruption… pic.twitter.com/dwLQtT8UTi
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) November 18, 2023
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat won from the constituency with a margin of 274,440 votes by defeating the Indian National Congress’ Vaibhav Gehlot.
This time around, Mahendra Singh Rathore, who was a former minister of state in the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan, has armed himself to ward off Gehlot’s sarkaar.
Earlier, the assembly constituency had seen a voter turnout of 66.95 per cent in 2018 when Gehlot emerged victorious securing 97,081 votes defeating the BJP’s Shambhu Singh with a margin of 45,597 votes.
Historically, the Congress has claimed the constituency as its own stronghold, winning seven times since 1980, while BJP has only won twice. According to experts, the Grand Old Party’s dominion is only due to the presence of Muslims in the region who have been traditionally voting for the Congress. Mali community is also present significantly in the constituency.
The BJP to destroy the “myth of the bastion” has now opted for the door-to-door Gujarat formula in a bid to empower and enhance the voters with the party workers being asked to meet every person present in the constituency. They have also decided to keep their message simple, “Just come out on November 25 and vote.” They have also touched upon local issues such as potholes, ruptured sewage lines and the lack of access to drinking water in urban areas, while targeting CM Gehlot over such issues in his home constituency.
The saffron party also shed light on the “Hindu-Muslim” card of communalism which is, allegedly, being played by Congress in Jodhpur, still being unable to stop violence and riots.
As Shekhawat had said to The New Indian, “Sardarpura seat is not comfortable but also not difficult.”
