Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Gurjar leader Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha seat for third consecutive time to challenge Sachin Pilot’s close aide and incumbent MLA from Deoli-Uniara Assembly constituency Harish Chandra Meena.
Expressing confidence after getting the ticket, Jaunapuria said, “This time, we will win the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat with 2.5 lakh votes.”
However, this seat is important for Congress especially for Sachin Pilot as he is an MLA from Tonk Assembly constituency, which falls under this Lok Sabah constituency. Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria seems confident as he has been the Member of Parliament from the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat for the past 10 years. However, in the 2009 elections, this seat came to light after the defeat of BJP candidate and Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, who lost to Congress’ Namo Narain Meena by a margin of 347 votes. Later in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Sukhbir Jaunapuria defeated the former captain of the Indian cricket team and Congress candidate Mohammed Azharuddin by more than 1.5 lakh votes.
Similarly in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he defeated the Congress candidate Namo Narain Meena by more than one lakh votes.
On this seat, the number of Meena voters is approximately 325,000, while the number of Gurjar voters is around 280,000. Therefore, both political parties consider caste equations while deciding on candidates. Except for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party has consistently fielded Meena candidates from here. Meanwhile in the last three elections, the BJP has played the Gurjar candidate card, winning twice. Currently, the caste equation has been balanced by both parties.
According to local sources, the upcoming election holds sheer importance for Sachin Pilot.
He is actively campaigning in the area to secure victory for the Congress candidate.
However, the success of the Congress party hinges on winning over the Gurjar community, which constitutes the core vote bank in this region for BJP candidate Sukhbir Jaunapuria.
Unfortunately, this task appears challenging due to the bipolar contest and the Gurjar community’s historical tendency to vote for their own candidate based on caste equations.
Although Sachin Pilot is making efforts to woo Gurjar voters but his absence from direct contest in the Lok Sabha election from the Tonk Swai Madhopur constituency makes this endeavor less likely to succeed. Despite the challenges, Pilot continues to strive for their support.
Other than the Gurjar and Meena castes, there are approximately 325,000 Scheduled Tribe (ST) voters, while the number of Muslim voters is approximately 215,000. The largest number of voters belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, with around 440,000 voters. Jat voters are around 150,000 while Brahmin voters are also around 150,000. Rajput voters are close to 65,000, and Mali voters are also close to 135,000. Additionally, the votes of smaller OBC communities in this area are also significantand are around 275,000. Both parties are eyeing these communities other than the core Gurjar Meena equation as they also play a significant role in the winning margin of a candidate. The BJP is also campaigning heavily in the constituency, including rallies of BJP Chief J.P. Nadda, while Congress is campaigning on Pilot’s face.
The region is famous for Ranthambore Fort and the Ranthambore National Park, famous for its tigers.