JAIPUR : As the sun beats down on Rajasthan’s desert expanse, the political climate is heating up even more in anticipation of Friday’s elections.
With voting set to take place across 13 constituencies, the state has become a focal point of intense campaigning, with star campaigners from major parties leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory.
Five to eight high-profile seats have caught the public’s attention due to the stakes of the candidates involved.
In the Jodhpur constituency, BJP’s Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is locked in a fierce contest with Karan Singh Uchiarada from Congress. Having won the seat in both 2014 and 2019, Shekhawat faces a tough challenge from Uchiarada, who also hails from the Rajput community.
Kota-Bundi Lok Sabha seat is another battleground where BJP’s Om Birla, a two-time winner, is facing a formidable challenge from Prahlad Gunjal, who recently switched allegiance from BJP to Congress, belongs to the Gurjar community and enjoys the backing of ex-CM Vasundhara Raje, making the race closely contested.
Chittorgarh seat sees BJP state president CP Joshi locking horns with Congress’s Anjana Udaylal and BSP’s Meghwal Radheshyam. Joshi’s campaign is further complicated by the presence of rebel BJP MLA Chandrabhan Singh Akya, who poses a significant threat due to his strong grassroots support and anti-Joshi sentiments.
In Rajsamand, Mahima Singh Mewar (BJP) and Damodar Gurjar (Congress) are the main contenders. While the seat is traditionally considered safe for the BJP, the last-minute change in Congress’s candidate has added a new dimension to the race, nominating Damodar Gurjar for this seat. Initially, Congress had chosen Sudarshan Rawat, who later backed out. Subsequently, Gurjar, originally fielded in Bhilwara, was moved to this seat.
Religion plays a key role in the Udaipur constituency following the murder of tailor Kanhaiyalal. BJP’s Mannalal Rawat and Congress’s Tarachand Meena are the main contenders, with Congress facing potential vote bank erosion.
The Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat witnesses a polarised contest between BJP’s Sukhbir Singh Jonapuria and MLA Harish Meena, with Gurjar-Meena vote polarisation evident. Banswara-Dungarpur seat is embroiled in controversy with Congress supporting candidate of BAP, Rajkumar Rot at the last minute and their official candidate, Arvind Damor, refuses to withdraw.
In Ajmer, the BJP has nominated MP Bhagirath Chaudhary for reelection, while Ramchandra Choudhary, a seasoned dairy chairman, represents Congress. In Bharatpur, the Jat movement shapes the electoral landscape. The area boasts around 5 lakh Jat voters. Additionally, the region has about 3.50 lakh Jatav voters. Congress’s Sanjana belongs to this community, while BJP’s Ramswaroop Koli has previously won from the Bayana seat.
It’s a three-way contest in the Barmer-Jaisalmer seat. An independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati has emerged as a prominent figure, causing concern for both Kailash Chaudhary (BJP) and Umedaram Beniwal (Congress).
The electoral battleground also features the sons of two former CMs, Vaibhav Gehlot and Dushyant Singh, contesting from Jalore-Sirohi and Jhalawar respectively.
Similarly, Dushyant Singh’s fifth-time bid from Jhalawar has posed questions about the strength of his opposition.
High-stake 13-seat fight
With this phase, polls to all 25 seats in the desert state will be over; 12 constituencies went to the polls in the first phase
VOTERS
No of AC segments: 200
Total voters: 2,80,78,399
Service voters: 26,837
Male voters: 1,44,48,966
Female voters: 1,36,02,272
Third-gender voters: 324
First-time voters (18-19 yrs): 8,66,325
Disabled voters: 3,22,829
Voters above 85 years: 3,01,742