NEW DELHI: Kota, the capital of NEET and JEE coaching institutes, is bracing itself for an electoral battle as the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Om Birla seeks a remarkable third consecutive victory. However, his campaign faces a formidable challenge from Prahlad Gunjal, who has switched from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to contest as a Congress candidate. Gunjal’s previous affiliations with the BJP and his close association with Vasundhara Raje add intricacy to the political dynamics in Kota.
Located along the banks of the Chambal River, the Kota Lok Sabha constituency comprises Kota and Bundi districts of Rajasthan. Lying in Hadoti region of Rajasthan, Bundi served as the capital of Hadoti and has a good presence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which makes it a stronghold of the saffron party. Before Gunjal joined Congress, the seat looked unchallenged by the opposition; however, with Gunjal joining Congress, the opposition has risen to the occasion with a good fight.
Gunjal, a vocal leader, was once against Vasundhara Raje in 2008 during the Gurjar agitation in the state, and he left the BJP; however, he later rejoined and soon became a close aide to Raje. He was the MLA from Kota North twice earlier but had lost the last year assembly polls to Shanti Dhariwal, a big name in Congress from Hadoti region.
Earlier in April, Prahlad Gunjal had accused Om Birla of conducting surveillance on his residence with drones to monitor his meetings. Despite these serious charges, Om Birla has chosen not to respond directly. Instead, his campaign continues to concentrate on developmental initiatives, such as the proposed airport in Kota. Birla’s electoral strategy seems to be centred on showcasing the achievements of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government. On the other hand, Gunjal is openly criticising Birla’s performance over the past decade as an MP, claiming that Birla is masking his inadequacies by capitalising on Prime Minister Modi’s popularity.
Kota has a good population of SC and ST voters, dominated by the Meena community along with voters belonging to the Gurjar, Brahmin, and Vaishya communities. Congress candidate Prahlad Gunjal belongs to the Gurjar community, while OM Birla belongs to the Baniya community. In the 2019 elections, Birla defeated Congress candidate Ramnarain Meena by a margin of approximately 2.5 lakh votes, while in the 2014 elections, his win margin was approximately 2 lakh votes.
Kota has a national problem of rising suicides by students who are preparing for NEET and JEE exams. Om Birla assures during his campaign that he will work towards resolving this issue. His campaign, other than national issues, is also targeting local issues of infrastructure improvement for local residents, and Kota, being situated on the banks of Chambal, has a good agrarian population, especially coriander farmers. Birla promises to improve their condition.
On the other hand, Prahlad Gunjal is targeting Om Birla for not doing work for the last ten years. He is also vocal about local issues, especially highlighting the issues in the Chambal riverfront built by the previous Congress government in the state.
Prakhar Gupta, a resident of Ramganj Mandi, an assembly constituency within Kota, told The Sunday Guardian, “Both Gunjal and Birla are mass leaders, while Birla as Lok Sabha Speaker has made Kota synonymous with his name.
His image as a trusted person of PM Modi has given him a direct edge in Kota. Before Gunjal joined the BJP, the Congress was not in a fight, but Gunjal’s inclusion has given Congress workers a ray of hope, but surely the BJP has an edge, given the fact that Hadoti region has a strong presence of the RSS and Birla’s past affiliation with the saffron organisation favours him.”