Modi magic: BJP's Rajasthan battle is centred in Delhi, not Jaipur

“There is only one hero in this election, and he lives in Delhi and not in Jaipur. No matter what happens in the assembly battle and whichever party wins, we are ardent supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will vote for him in assembly elections and also ensure he gets all 25 seats again in Lok Sabha,” said Rota Ram Jat, a farmer in Jakopur village in the outskirts of Alwar.

The popularity of Modi in Rajasthan is working as a blessing in disguise for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has played its biggest gamble in the Assembly polls by contesting them under the prime minister’s leadership and not a local face.

After the 1977 Assembly polls when Bhairon Singh Shekhawat became chief minister of Rajasthan, this is the first time the BJP has decided not to name its chief ministerial candidate.

The absence of two-time chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who has dominated the politics of Rajasthan for two decades, is the biggest gamble of the BJP central leadership. While there is a large section in the BJP, both in Delhi and Jaipur, that feels that the time has come to look for a generational change in the BJP’s state unit, the process may not be simple.

Near-rebellion in state unit

Soon after the BJP came out with its first list of candidates and announced that seven MPs would contest the Assembly polls, there has been a near rebellion in the state. The extent of the problem can be gauged from the fact that there are 21 rebel candidates in the 200 constituencies of Rajasthan.

The BJP has assured the rebel candidates that they will be accommodated after a government is formed in Jaipur. The central leadership realises the importance of Raje and has accommodated a substantial number of her supporters in the list of candidates issued after the initial rebellion.

“There are so many chief ministerial aspirants in the BJP that it does not matter who finally gets the post. Our faith is with PM Modi, and we are sure that if there is a double engine government in Delhi and Jaipur, the state’s development will be faster,” said Naresh Kumar, a medical shop owner on Amer Road in Jaipur.

Political analysts believe the decision of the BJP to not name a chief ministerial candidate has added pressure on Modi because now the state unit is looking at him to deliver a new government in Jaipur.

“There is no local face of the BJP, and there are a fair numbers of rebel candidates contesting as independents. It is up to the prime minister to deliver the state to the BJP,” said Avinash Kalla, a Jaipur-based political analyst.

Agnipath, pension scheme woes

While Modi remains the primary vote catcher for the BJP, there is a section of people who are annoyed with his government over the Agnipath scheme which has changed the recruitment of soldiers to the Indian armed forces. Since many young students apply to join the military every year, especially the army, aspirants and retired veterans feel the scheme is the only red flag among all policy decisions of the Union government.

“I am a retired soldier, and I feel the new recruitment scheme will weaken the armed forces. This decision is not in the interest of the army or aspirants who want to join the armed forces. There are many like me who feel this scheme will not be beneficial,” said Sidhraj Chaudhary, a 42-year-old retired soldier who runs a general store in Jatwara village in Dausa.

Many aspirants who earlier wanted to join the army have started to prepare for police services and want to apply for vacancies in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.

“There are many students who no longer want to join the armed forces because of the Agniveer scheme. Most aspirants want to join the police due to job security. Some students still want to join the armed forces because of their love for the forces and also due to unemployment,” said Akshay Chaudhary, a Class 12 student in Alwar.

Another policy decision that has irked voters is the non-implementation of the old pension scheme by the Centre. People wonder why the Union government is not implementing it while opposition parties are promising it in their states.

After the Congress wins in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has promised to bring back the old pension scheme if he retains power.

“There are a lot of government servants who are interested in the old pension scheme. People feel the Union government should implement it nationally,” said Sushil Sharma, a retired government servant in Alwar.

Gehlot offensive

Realising that the support of government servants could play a crucial role in helping the Congress return to power for the first time in nearly three decades, Gehlot has approved a 4 per cent hike in the dearness allowance of government employees. This decision would benefit over 8 lakh employees and over 4.40 lakh pensioners.

Political analysts believe that government employees and teachers are pleased with the decision.

“The surveys conducted by us show the electoral promise has been accepted by government servants. This issue can help the Congress in the state,” said Nidhi Jain, a political analyst at the political science department of Mohan lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur.