Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Congress banks on MLAs to win in Rajasthan

The Congress legislators in Rajasthan are telling voters that they are key to local development to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party’s narrative on nationalism and Pulwama terror attacks in the ongoing 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The popular slogan of Congress legislators in the campaign for 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan is ‘Kadi se kadi jodo vikas ke liye’. This means that if the MLAS, state government and the central government are of the same party, development will be faster. Incidentally, the BJP had used the same phrase in 2014 Lok Sabha elections when it won all 25 LS seats. But this time, there is more to it as many of the legislators are telling voters that they can ensure speedy development if the Congress gets lead from their respective constituencies.

“Ensuring party victory in our constituency is our responsibility. Bigger the margin and higher will be the possibility for me to get important position in the government,” said a Congress legislator, on conditions of anonymity citing the model code of conduct. He added that the party has introduced a mechanism to judge performance based on the leads the legislators provide from their respective constituencies. In case the party loses from a minister’s constituency, he or she can lose the portfolio, and for the MLA, it can be a reason for denial of ticket in the next election.

Another Congress legislator said the BJP cannot talk of ‘Kadi se kadi’ in the state as it lost in the assembly elections and people need support of local legislators to resolve their daily problems. “The voters bear in mind importance of local legislators and normally don’t get swayed by national issues. That is why there is a tradition in Rajasthan that the party in power in the state gets the maximum seats in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said on conditions of anonymity.

The Congress and its ally Rashtriya Janata Dal have 101 legislators and 12 independent MLAs . The House strength translates into the Congress having an edge in 14 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Addressing an election meeting at Buth Jaitmal, senior Congress leader and MLA from Gudamalani (Barmer) Hema Ram Choudhary was seen convincing people to support party candidate Manvendra Singh for effective development and progress. “You have made Congress government in Rajasthan and showed faith in us – this for five years and not just four months, we have done lot of work, which will continue. But for smooth working and development ‘Kadi se kadi jodo vikas ke liye’,” he said.

Similarly in Jodhpur, MLA from Osian, Divya Maderna, while seeking support for party candidate Vaibhav Gehlot from Jodhour LS seat at a public meeting at Bhikamkorl said, “If you wish to strengthen us (MLAS) then support Vaibhav win. The development and progress will be smooth and issues will resolve, if ‘Kadi se kadi jud jati hai’.”

They are not the only ones as several legislators from Congress in different parts of the state are repeating the slogan and adding their own tag lines. Lawmaker from the Jodhpur region Kishna Ram said: “The CM is from the region, the MLA is from Congress and now if the party MP is elected then coordination and development will be smooth.”

First-time voter Suresh Kumar appears to have been convinced by the argument. “I don’t know much about politics but have seen that the government in state, wins the Lok Sabha polls. Besides, we have to get our work done by the MLA – one keeps that in mind before voting,” he said. A farmer Bhura Ram in Pokran region of Jodhpur said they have to rely on local legislator to solve perennial issues such as water crisis and local development works. “MLA is our first stop for development,” he said.

“The same phrase was adopted by BJP in last parliamentary elections (2014). When Congress was the dominating force in politics, they coined this phrase – ‘Kadi se kadi jodo vikas ke liye’ – from panchayat to state and than from state to center. BJP too used the line in 2014 Lok Sabha elections but now they cannot after losing last assembly elections,” said political analyst Narayan Bareth. Voters are given logic for smooth working and as it is a local phrase it attracts voters, he said.

Locals said PM Modi is the biggest factor in this Lok Sabha elections in the state but ultimately it will boil down to which party has better caste combination. Both Congress and BJP have given a mix of candidates from all prominent castes in state — Rajputs, Meenas, Gujjars and Jats. “Certainly there is Modi brand all around but at the ground level, it’s still the caste that works,” said Rajmal Meena, a tea seller in Rajsamand Lok Sabha seat.

First Published: Apr 25, 2019 14:22 IST