The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje may have created a wave of support in the party through her Suraaj Sankalp Yatra in the whole of Rajasthan, but it is the verdict of Mewar-Wangad that will be crucial to bring BJP back to power.
The region — consisting of five districts of Udaipur, Banswara, Dungerpur, Chittogarh and Pratapgarh — accounts for 28 seats. Of these, 20 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe, one for the Scheduled Caste, and seven seats fall under the general category. In the last leg of the campaigning, scheduled to end on Friday evening, the region has attracted many stalwarts from both the main rival parties.
Poll pundits in Rajasthan say whoever wins majority seats in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan gets the throne of Jaipur. Out of 96 seats Congress had won in 2008, 20 seats came from this region. Similarly, BJP had secured 22 seats in 2003 when it formed the Government in Rajasthan. Senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria is working hard to win the region for his party. Kataria himself remains unbeaten till date. He is winning the Udaipur seat since 1977 and has the highest stakes in the region.
After playing a decisive role in selecting the party candidates on a majority of seats in the region, Kataria is now spending maximum time in campaigning here. In ‘lake City’ Udaipur, Kataria has addressed few token meetings as he enjoys full support of the electorate here. Knowing his support base, the Congress has not fielded any veteran party leader here and instead pit newcomer Dinesh Srimali against Kataria.
Kataria is hoping to win the seat with a record margin this time owing to anti-incumbency wave against the Congress party. Meanwhile, the tug-of-war between the BJP and Congress has been made interesting by the third player in the fray. Kirori lal Meena’s National Peoples Party is all set to play spoilsport on many crucial seats in the region. The percentage of votes secured by his party nominees would determine the victory margin of the successful candidates.
Meena is backing strong rebel candidates of both the parties. After the delimitation exercise was carried out in 2008, the region has witnessed the rise of BJP in urban centres. It is for this reason the BJP has fielded party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to woo the electorate and make a dent in the strong bastion of the Congress party.
Modi has managed to strike an emotional chord with the tribal voters in the region by praising their work culture and strides made by them in neighboring Gujarat after receiving employment opportunities.Modi has also been attracting bigger crowds in his rallies in the area as compared to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The BJP also fielded leader of the Opposition in lok Sabha Sushma Sawaraj and MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to bring disgruntled voters into the party fold.
Kataria harps on the five years of misrule of Ashok Gehlot Government and highlights poor budgetary support to the Mewar region. Kataria, an effective orator, is telling tribals in his public meetings how the Congress Government has ignored their interests in the last five years. “It is time for you people to give the Congress party a befitting reply by voting them out of power,” he says. The enthusiastic response of the voters here can gladden the heart of BJP bigwigs.