THE C.P. JOSHI WAY
The state of Rajasthan has clearly not forgotten one important lesson from the last election. That is when C.P. Joshi lost his own seat at Nathdwara by one vote. What added to his loss was the fact that he was also a contender for the chief minister’s chair. Hence at a rally at the Mundawar tehsil in the Kotpuli, Behror district, the Congress candidate Lalit Yadav cautioned his supporters, that while he was sure of winning, each and every one should go and cast his or her vote, so that his candidature doesn’t go the C.P. Joshi way. It was also interesting to note that while the rally was being covered by a high-tech drone, the couple of hundred strong crowd did not have a single woman present. The only women who were there, were on the stage. Guess even technology cannot breach certain barriers.
The Chief Ministerial Musical Chairs
The Rajasthan ballot was sealed on 25 November but the politicking may well go beyond the result day. If the Congress manages to pull a surprise win, the party will have to juggle between the aspirations of sitting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the expectations of Sachin Pilot, former deputy CM. For, while the campaign was fought on Gehlot’s track record, the Congress high command had promised Sachin a shot at the top job way back in 2018. He clearly is going to hold them to their word for as he told NewsX in an exclusive interview, the decision on the Chief Minister’s name will be taken by the high command and we will all abide by it. The BJP too will have a tough call to make should it win the state; for the party’s central leadership will find it hard to deny the claims of ex Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia. From all accounts Narendra Modi and Amit Shah want a change which is why they did not project her name as the party’s CM candidate. Vasundhara, however, has been campaigning hard, specially in 40 seats where her supporters are contesting. If denied a shot at the CM’s chair she will not be easy to placate. Will Modi give in to her tantrums? For as Yashwant Deshmukh told me, if Modi was ready to make her CM again then why would he create this “panga” in the first place. The “panga” being the sidelining of Vasundhara Raje in the BJP’s Rajasthan poll campaign. Of course all this depends on which way the state voted. In the last 30 years it has voted the BJP and the Congress, turn by turn, that has been the riwaaz (custom). And for a large chunk of this period the CM’s chair has vacillated between Gehlot and Vasundhara sparking off rumours that the two have a secret understanding not to target each other’s misdemeanours while in power. Will this chain be broken—can the Congress deny Gehlot the chair should it win, and will the BJP keep Vasundhara away if it wins? That’s the key question in poll bound Rajasthan.
Poll Humour
Poll campaigns are never boring and politicians have learnt the hard way how to keep a crowd engaged. Recently speaking at a rally in Rajasthan, B.V. Srinivas was trying to exhort a crowd to clap for the Congress’ candidate. He asked them: “Kya taali lagaane ka GST lagaaya hai Modi ne (Has Modi put a GST on clapping)?” Another lady campaigner (from the Congress) told the crowd that the state has to break the riwaaz (custom) of voting out the current government. “Riwaaz badlo, raj nahin” she said (change your custom, not the government). All campaigns, whether BJP or Congress begin with a Jai Mata Di.