The result of Mandalgarh assembly seat is especially significant, as it was a triangular contest between the BJP, the Congress and a Congress rebel.
The results of the by-elections in the Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats, as well as Mandalgarh assembly seat, were a foregone conclusion, because the people of Rajasthan are totally disillusioned with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The bypolls to all these seats were held on 29 January 2018, following the deaths of the sitting members. All three seats had been won by the BJP owing to the wave against the Congress nationally.
But now, the Congress has won all three seats. It is a clear verdict against the incumbent BJP governments of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi; it shows that people have lost confidence in the BJP.
It is also a result of the Congress party putting up a united fight, and send out the signal that people are appreciating and missing the benefits of the previous Congress governments.
There are many factors that worked against the BJP. The entire business class suffered due to two breaks in the economic cycle within a year — demonetisation and GST implementation. Both were implemented in a very shabby manner, and businesses incurred huge losses resulting in the loss of jobs. They also hit the poor very badly.
It is very important to mention that there has been a ban on river sand being used for construction work. This is a very important issue, as it has created huge unemployment in the state, and the government has been absolutely indifferent to this problem. This has also taken a toll on the BJP.
Both urban and rural people have voted in favour of the Congress, showing that people can now see through the false promises made by Modi, and the non-performance of the state government. Raje’s non-availability is also a very significant factor for dissatisfaction among people. Modi’s recent visit to Barmer to lay the foundation stone of a petrochemical complex only reminded people of the work done by the previous Congress government, when Ashok Gehlot was at the helm. The foundation stone of this complex was laid by Sonia Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot previously, which was redone by Modi.
This is a very significant result after the Gujarat elections, which showed the fall in popularity of the BJP and of Modi. It is indicative of the mood of the people not only in Rajasthan but across India.
The decision taken by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Avinash Pandey and his team in selecting the candidates, and the subsequent effort put in during the campaign by bringing all the important leaders together has gone a long way in this victory.
Sachin Pilot, Pradesh Congress Committee president, campaigned extensively in Ajmer. Similarly, Jitendra Singh, former central minister, did a splendid job in Alwar. All our leaders like Ashok Gehlot, C.P. Joshi, Girija Vyas and Rameshwar Dudi campaigned extensively in all the constituencies unitedly. Also, Congress candidates Raghu Sharma in Ajmer and Karan Singh Yadav in Alwar enjoy a good reputation, which contributed to their victory.
The result in Mandalgarh is especially significant, as it was a triangular contest, with a Congress rebel candidate, Gopal Malviya, also in fray. Congress candidate Vivek Dhakad campaigned all across the assembly constituency among every section of society, and has come out the winner against the BJP candidate, Shakti Singh Hada.
Malviya was a very strong candidate asking for a Congress nomination. There have been reports that he was helped by the BJP leadership as well in various ways. He campaigned hard to take away traditional Congress votes. But the resentment of people at large is so high that nothing worked in favour of the BJP.
Sanjay Bapna is former secretary, All India Congress Committee, and is based in Jaipur. His Twitter handle is @BapnaSanjay
The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are rigged by the BJP to create a false sense of security for the Congress and the opposition .. Isnt this obvious?
Surprise, surprise! not a tweet from the opposition about rigged EVMs when they win!!
Worldwide prize for India’s opposition for Rank Hypocrisy, and Paranoia!!