Pitching his Assembly election contest with Congress leader Sachin Pilot as a "local-versus-outsider" battle, BJP's Tonk candidate Ajit Singh Mehta cited Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's "post is not leaving him" remark to claim that Mr. Pilot does not have the "Chief Ministerial face advantage" that he had in 2018.
Mr. Mehta, who had represented Tonk from 2013 to 2018 in the Assembly, has been handed the tough assignment by the BJP to take on the former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister, who won from here over his BJP rival Yoonus Khan in 2018 by a record margin of more than 54,000 votes.
Local face
Mr. Mehta is pitching the electoral contest as a “local-versus-outsider” battle, asserting that he is a Tonk resident who knows the micro-level problems faced by people and claiming that Mr. Pilot is an “outsider” who had won big last time due to the advantage of being perceived as the Chief Ministerial face of the Congress.
"The most important thing is that the election is one of a local versus an outsider. It was a different matter during the last election as he [Pilot] was a Chief Ministerial face and the president of the state unit of his party. Today, he is also fighting the election for becoming an MLA and so am I," Mr. Mehta told PTI while campaigning in Sankhana village in Tonk on Friday.
"The Chief Minister [Mr. Gehlot] has said he wants to leave the post but the post is not leaving him. Entire Rajasthan knows that the Chief Minister's face is decided [in the Congress]. He [Mr. Pilot] is fighting to become an MLA and for the first time, facing a local person. It is an election of a local versus an outsider," the BJP leader said.
His remarks came weeks after CM Gehlot, at a press conference in Delhi, said he wants to leave the Chief Minister's post but it is not leaving him and probably, may not leave him in the future too. The remarks had come amid a long-running power tussle between Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Pilot.
Mr. Mehta also accused the former Congress State unit chief of not being among the people of the constituency in the last five years. "In the last five years, after winning by more than 54,000 votes, he [Mr. Pilot] did not participate in the good and bad times of the people even 54 times," he said.
"Our Assembly segment lost out on development," Mr. Mehta claimed.
The BJP leader said he had been an MLA from here for five years and be it roads, water or sanitation, he had worked hard to provide all facilities to people.
"The mood of the people is of change and a public representative who was not among the people and did not hear their problems. I do not know on what basis [he will seek votes]. The blessings and love I am getting from the people, change in this Assembly constituency is definite," Mr. Mehta added.
"He [Mr. Pilot] came from outside and won. People made him victorious by 54,000 votes thinking that he is the Chief Ministerial face, but does he care about small issues of the people? When I was the MLA, people would raise issues of electricity, hospitals and small basic needs, which need to be fulfilled. Local people are aware of these problems and stand with them in their needs," Mr. Mehta opined.
‘Getting affection from voters’
"I am getting enormous love and affection and that is why the Congress candidate, who did not go anywhere for five years, is going to every street and bylane appealing for votes. But people are now aware and a change is definite," he asserted.
Mr. Pilot had won the electoral contest from Tonk in 2018, defeating the BJP's only Muslim candidate in the state, Yoonus Khan.
It was the first Assembly election for Mr. Pilot, a two-time former Member of Parliament. He had defeated Mr. Khan with a margin of 54,179 votes from the seat that is dominated by Muslims and Gurjars.
Rajasthan will voting in a single phase on November 25 and the results will be declared on December 3.
