The stage is all set for bypolls to two assembly seats in Rajasthan's Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad on Saturday, with the election being viewed as a significant test for the performance of the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm at 638 polling booths in both the assembly constituencies and counting of votes will take place on November 2.
Though the number of constituencies going to bypolls is not crucial from the viewpoint of the government's stability but the results will send a message across the state about the performance of the government, which had faced a major threat last year due to rebellion of the then deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 MLAs led by him. In election rallies on Tuesday, Gehlot had appealed to voters to vote for Congress saying it is necessary to strengthen the government.
Despite palpable discord over the leadership issue, Gehlot and his former deputy Pilot projected a united face by travelling together in a helicopter along with AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra to address rallies in both the constituencies during nomination filing by the party candidates. It was for the second time after last year's crisis that both the leaders travelled together and shared the stage.
Leaders of both the parties camped in the constituencies and left no stone unturned in electioneering. While the Congress targeted the Centre over the issue of inflation and fuel and LPG prices hike as well as highlighted the works of the state government during the campaigning, the BJP made law and order, crime rate, unemployment allowance, increased power tariff etc. key poll issues.
BJP leaders from Delhi and Jaipur including national general secretary and in charge of party affairs in Rajasthan Arun Singh, union ministers Arjun Munda and SP Singh Baghel addressed rallies. Baghel's controversial remarks on chief minister Gehlot during a rally in Vallabhnagar last week questioning his parentage had also stoked a controversy.
The bypolls have been necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA from Dhariawad, Gautam Lal Meena, and Congress MLA from Vallabhnagar, Gajendra Singh Shaktawat. Both of them died due to COVID-19.
While the Congress gave ticket to Gajendra Shaktawat's wife Preeti Shaktawat in Vallabhnagar in Udaipur, the BJP disappointed the son of Gautam Lal Meena and fielded Khet Singh Meena in Dhariawad in Pratapgarh against the Congress candidate Nagraj Meena. Nagraj Meena was defeated by Gautam Lal Meena in the 2018 assembly elections with a margin of 23842 votes in Dhariawad.
Gautam Lal Meena's son Kanhaiya Meena had filed nomination papers as an independent candidate after being denied ticket by the BJP but the saffron party persuaded him to withdraw the nomination. A total of seven candidates are contesting elections in Dhariawad (ST) constituency.
In Vallabhnagar, the BJP has fielded Himmat Singh Jhala against Preeti Shaktawat while former BJP MLA and chief of Janta Sena Randhir Singh Bhinder is also contesting as an independent MLA. Bhinder's wife had filed nomination as Janta Sena candidate after denial of ticket from BJP but withdrew the nomination paper later.
In the 2018 assembly elections, Bhindar, as the Janta Sena candidate, had given a tough fight to Gajendra Singh Shaktawat and was defeated with a narrow margin of 3,719 votes. Apart from them, BJP's rebel Udailal Dangi is also contesting election as Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) candidate in Vallabhnagar. RLP is the party of Nagaur MP and former BJP leader Hanuman Beniwal.
As many as nine candidates are in the fray in Vallabhnagar. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said bypolls will be conducted as per Covid-19 guidelines.
No voter in the constituency has been found suffering from Covid as on Thursday evening. A total of 5,11,455 voters will be able to exercise their franchise with 2,53,831 in Vallabhnagar and 2,57, 624 in Dhariawad. Of the total 638 polling booths, 119 are sensitive.
Gupta said 4,468 security personnel have been deployed in both the assembly constituencies for free, fair and peaceful voting.
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