Gehlot is trying to bring Congress back to power by getting Dalit and tribal votes

In view of the assembly elections to be held in Rajasthan by the end of this year, the ruling Congress party in the state has stepped up its election preparations. Under this, the Congress has started formulating an election strategy to garner Dalit and tribal votes. Dalit and tribal voters play the biggest role in forming the government of any party in the state. 34 assembly seats are reserved for scheduled castes (Dalit community) and 25 assembly seats for scheduled tribes (tribal community) in the state. In this way, 59 out of 200 assembly seats in the state are reserved for these communities. The MLAs who win these 59 seats play an important role in forming the government in the state. That is why the Chief Minister of the state, Ashok Gehlot, is working day and night in the direction of connecting these communities with the Congress.

In Rajasthan, SC and ST voters used to become a strong vote bank of the Congress. But gradually the BJP also made a dent in them. Because of this, many Dalit, tribal voters went away from Congress. To bring them back to the Congress, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is focusing on the reserved seats in the state. Apart from 59 reserved seats in Rajasthan, there are about two dozen more assembly seats where the decision of victory or defeat rests in the hands of Dalit and tribal voters. The way these voters get inclined. His victory is considered certain.

If you look at the electoral statistics, in the 2018 assembly elections, out of 34 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Congress won 19 seats, BJP won 12 seats and others 3 seats. While forming the government after the elections, other political parties and independent candidates who won 3 seats also supported the Congress. In this way, there were 22 SC seats in favor of the Congress. While BJP was left with only 12 seats. Similarly, out of 25 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes, Congress got 12 seats and BJP got 9 seats. On the other hand, independent candidates won on 4 seats. Who later supported the Congress.

In this way, out of 59 reserved seats in the 2018 assembly elections, Congress got the support of 38 MLAs. While BJP got the support of 21 MLAs. Had the Congress not got a huge lead in the reserved category seats in the last assembly elections, the Congress government would not have been formed. The BJP had won 32 SC seats in the 2013 assembly elections. While the Congress could not win a single seat. On the other hand, out of 25 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes, BJP won 18 and Congress only 4 seats. In that election, out of 59 reserved seats, Congress got only 4 seats. While BJP got 50 seats and others got 5 seats. Being reduced to only 4 seats, Congress could win only 21 out of 200 seats in 2013 and BJP, which won 50 reserved seats, formed the government with a bumper majority.

In the 2008 assembly elections, the Congress had won 16 seats from the Scheduled Castes and 18 from the Scheduled Tribes i.e. a total of 34 seats. While BJP could win only 15 seats of Scheduled Castes and 2 seats of Scheduled Tribes i.e. a total of 17 seats. In the 2008 assembly elections, out of total 34 reserved seats, Congress and BJP could win only 17 seats. At that time, because of winning 34 reserved seats, the Congress formed the government in the state through manipulations. Because Congress did not get full majority at that time. But the Congress had formed the government in the state by including 6 BSP MLAs in the party.

In the 25 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, earlier the main contest was between the Congress and the BJP. But in the last assembly elections, a new party formed for the demand of tribal rights in the name of Bharatiya Tribal Party contested on 11 seats and won two seats by securing 0.72 percent votes. This time again, the Bharatiya Tribal Party is preparing to enter the elections with a loud noise by intensifying the demand for tribal Bhil Pradesh. Due to which there is a possibility of a triangular contest on about 20 seats in the tribal belt.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is working on the same by setting a target of winning 50 out of 59 assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the next assembly elections. Gehlot knows that reserved seats played the most important role in his becoming the chief minister thrice. That’s why again their full emphasis is on reserved seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also making frequent visits to the region to strengthen his party’s hold on the reserved seats. They know that no party can form the government in the state without the support of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Chief Minister Gehlot is fully engaged in the direction of forming the Congress government again in the state. For this, he has already started collecting feedback on all the assembly seats.

There is discussion in the political circles that this time the Congress party will also cut the tickets of many MLAs with weak performance and give a chance to new people in their place so that the anti-incumbency atmosphere can be ended. Even on reserved seats, the reports of many Congress MLAs are getting bad. In such a situation, the party can give a chance to new faces on about two dozen reserved seats. Chief Minister Gehlot has announced to make Salumber a new district and Banswara a new divisional headquarters in tribal-dominated Udaipur district to reduce the growing influence of the Tribal Party of India.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is conveying information about various public welfare schemes of his government to the general public in the state through inflation relief camps running in the state since last April 24. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is confident that the schemes he had announced for the common man in his budget are now starting to materialise. The voter who will be benefited by this will vote in favor of Congress only.

Ramesh Sarraf Dhamora

(The author is a freelance journalist accredited by the Government of Rajasthan. His articles continue to be published in many newspapers of the country.)