Constituency watch: OBCs, Dalits to play a key role in Rajasthan’s Sangod

Ahead of Rajasthan Assembly election 2018, the Sangod has around 40000 Dhakar, around 38000 scheduled caste and around 22000 scheduled tribe voters. It also has around 18000 Mali, about 17000 Muslim and some 15000 Gujjar voters.

Like other constituencies in Rajasthan’s Hadoti region, the Sangod seat in Kota district has been a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Of the 12 assembly polls held here after the independence, the Jana Sangh and later the BJP won 9 times and the Congress thrice. The Republican Party of India, which had its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by BR Ambedkar, had won the first assembly poll held in 1952.

Ajmer: Voters display their Aadhar cards and finger marked with indelible ink after casting their vote at a polling station. (Representational Photo)(PTI file photo)

Many stalwarts in state politics had fought their poll battle in the Sangod constituency. Earlier it was known as the Digod seat. BJP leader and Member of Parliament from Kota Daudayal Joshi won from Digod twice in a row in the 1980s. In the 2003 assembly polls, Congress leader Bharat Singh defeated BJP heavyweight and former minister Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi in the seat. Singh won again in 2008 and became a cabinet minister for panchayat raj and PWD in the former Congress government. He lost to BJP candidate Heeralal Nagar in the 2013 assembly polls by a margin of 29232 votes.

Dhakars (an OBC community) and Dalits dominate Sangod. The constituency has around 40000 Dhakar, around 38000 scheduled caste and around 22000 scheduled tribe voters. It has also around 18000 Mali, about 17000 Muslim and some 15000 Gujjar voters. Considering the caste calculus, the BJP fielded Heeralal Nagar, a Dhakar, from Sangod in the last two assembly polls.

Bharat Singh is hopeful of the Congress ticket from Sangod in the assembly elections to be held on December 7. The BJP may bank upon Nagar. “We have ensured irrigation water to every village from the Parwan irrigation project,” Nagar said. Bharat Singh said the BJP government failed to provide irrigation water to Sangod from the newly constructed Bhavrasa dam. Nagar said, “Compared to the Congress government, Raje government has spent triple amount on panchayat raj works and double amount on public works.”