JAIPUR: An internal survey report of the ruling Congress ahead of the Rajasthan assembly elections later this year has created a big stir among the ruling party MLAs. Sources said half of the 99 MLAs who won in 2018 may face defeat in the next elections, as revealed by the survey.
The report also highlighted the poor performance of several ministers. However, the survey has provided some positive signs about the position of the Ashok Gehlot government.
During a three-day one-on-one discussion from April 17 to April 20, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, party president Govind Dotasara, and In-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa clarified the position of all MLAs and ministers in their individual interactions. Randhawa was blunt with several MLAs, stating that it would be very difficult for them to win. Gehlot praised Randhawa for being the first in charge to provide such clarity.
According to a Congress cabinet minister, the purpose of the discussions was to warn weak MLAs in time so that they could improve their position. The MLAs standing on the “borderline” were instructed to work harder, and Randhawa and Gehlot asked them what work should be done at the government level to improve their image in their areas.
The Congress aims to change the power trend every five years in Rajasthan elections. In the last budget, CM Gehlot made several attractive announcements for the voters, which he claims will help the government repeat its success. However, the party's high command knows that it will not be easy to repeat the government based only on announcements and schemes. That’s why Congress is said to be taking this survey quite seriously.
The Congress considers itself weak in 93 seats in the upcoming election, of which 52 seats are those where the party has lost the last three consecutive elections in 2008, 2013, and 2018. Additionally, there are 41 seats that Congress won in 2008 but lost in 2013 and 2018. Moreover, the party has not forgotten the result of the 2013 assembly elections, when the ruling Congress was reduced to 21 seats and 31 ministers, 70 MLAs couldn’t save their seats.
The party experts say that the Congress will focus on new faces in these seats, including celebrities from various fields. To prepare for the next elections, Congress has started strengthening its ground organization. State President Govind Singh Dotasara announced that new presidents would be appointed in
more than two dozen districts within ten days. A new committee of the state Congress will also be constituted, and inactive members who do not attend meetings will be removed from the committee.