World | India
Rajasthan poised for close finish in polls
Rajasthan is all set to go to the polls today amid forecasts that the contest is headed for a close finish.
- By Ajay JhaChief, Correspondent
- Published: 23:16 December 3, 2008
New Delhi: Rajasthan is all set to go to the polls today amid forecasts that the contest is headed for a close finish.
A total of 2,194 candidates are in fray for the 200-seat assembly. A high octane campaign ended on Tuesday amidst reports that local issues may dominate the polling although the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went to voters with some of its pet issues like terrorism to lambaste the rival Congress party.
Interestingly, while former chief minister and national general secretary of the Congress party, Ashok Gehlot, is contesting the assembly elections and will in all probability be named chief minister in the event of the Congress victory, the election has virtually become a one-on-one war between the state's chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Congress, with Raje's BJP taking a backseat before her towering personality.
Curiously, while many of Raje's 30 ministers are face anti-incumbency due to the state government's failure to meet expectations of the commoners, the state, known for its royalties, continues to be in love with Maharani (Queen) Vasundhara of the erstwhile Dholpur royal family.
Raje had led BJP to a spectacular victory in 2003 with the party winning 123 seats in the assembly. The December 4 election is seen as her acid test since a victory will establish her as a BJP stalwart while the party's loss would reduce her clout.
The Raje administration encountered tough times in handling the violent Gujjar agitation towards the end of its tenure due to its failure to implement its promise to the community to fulfil the Gujjar demand to include them in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
The desert state, famous for its tourism and palaces, faced a virtual political storm with all three leading communities, namely the Gujjars, Meenas and Jats coming to loggerheads on the reservation issue. Meena, a Scheduled Tribe, has opposed the inclusion of Gujjars in the category, while Gujjars were unhappy with the BJP government's decision to grant the OBC (other backward caste) status to the Jat community.
Role
Although higher-caste Brahmins and Rajputs traditionally dominate state politics, these three communities play a leading role in deciding the fate of any political party.
This time round, however, they are divided, with no clear signal that any of these would vote for either the Congress or the BJP en-block.
Of the 2,194 candidates in fray, 154 are women and 189 candidates are in the field with criminal cases pending against them.
BJP has given tickets to 32 women, while the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party have gone in with 23 and 12 women candidates respectively.
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