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Rajasthan polls: With high turnout, Congress sees pro-incumbency, BJP change
High voter turnout in Rajasthan seen as a vote in favor of both Congress and BJP. Congress claims support from minority and SC communities, while BJP believes Gujjar community voted for them due to dissatisfaction with Congress. Jat community seen as supporting Congress due to welfare measures for farmers. Results to be declared on December 3.
The high voter turnout in Rajasthan on Saturday enthused both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with both the parties seeing it as a vote in their favour. While the Congress said the turnout showed pro incumbency in its favour based on its welfare schemes, the BJP saw it as an emphatic vote for change.
According to the Election Commission, around 68.24% of polling was recorded in 199 assembly constituencies in Rajasthan till 5pm on Saturday, when the report was filed.
According to the BJP, the high turnout in eastern Rajasthan, which has a considerable presence of Gujjar community voters, indicates that the community has voted for the BJP as they were miffed with the Congress for not making Sachin Pilot as the chief minister.
The Congress was banking on support of the minority, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Meena and Mali communities and they see higher turnout as a result of support of these communities.
A senior leader said besides our traditional vote bank of SC, ST and minority, this time the Mali community, which has a strong presence on a large number of seats came out in support of the Congress, instead of the BJP.
BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bhardwaj said, “In the last elections, the Gujjars voted for the Congress en masse in the hope that Sachin Pilot would be the CM. But their hopes were belied and the Gurjars are upset with the Congress. So, this time they have voted for the BJP.”
The districts of north Rajasthan like Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu and Nagaur, which is considered the Jat belt also saw high voting.
According to the Congress, the Jat community has voted for the party because of the various welfare measures for farmers such as electricity subsidy, financial assistance for lumpy disease, loan waiver, separate budget for agriculture, and promises such as law for MSP, if the Congress government repeats.
Countering the claims, BJP leader Mukesh Pareek said that the government failed to fulfil the promises, be it the complete loan waiver or 24-hour supply of electricity.
On high voting percentage, senior Congress leader Mumtaz Massih said, “The high number is pro-incumbency towards the sitting government for their work, policies and schemes, which are a subject of discussion in India and abroad.”
He said, “Rajasthan is first to bring a separate budget for farmers, a gig worker welfare bill, stringent laws for paper leak, restore Old Pension Scheme, pension to one crore and ₹25 lakh Chiranjeevi health insurance. These are some steps which are being talked about across the country.”
Massih said now the seven guarantees if the party comes in power such as the ₹10,000 to woman head of the family, ₹2 per kg to purchase cow dung, English school etc are being eagerly awaited by the masses.
Narayan Pancharia, convenor of the BJP’s election management committee said, “In the last election, the Gurjars, farmers and youth were fooled by the Congress. The Congress government failed to fulfil its promise of complete loan wavier to farmers, unemployment dole to youth and Sachin Pilot was not made CM which angered the Gurjars. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot has announced freebies just six months before elections and is claiming people are with them. Then why were there thin crowds in their public meetings? People have made up their minds to vote for the BJP.”
Political analyst Narayan Bareth said, “I believe the welfare measurers introduced by the government are highly appealing and beneficiary of the schemes came out in support. It is a positive trend of the voter as we saw in Kerala and West Bengal – it shows pro-incumbency.”
He said the voters were silent through the campaign by both the parties. Had they been against the government they would have been vocal and on the road like what happened in previous elections where the government changed every five years.
The results of the assembly elections in five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram- will be declared on December 3.
