As former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje arrives in Gogunda — a village also known as the Rajtilak Sthal (place of coronation) of Maharana Pratap — for the first of a long series of campaign events on Friday, her own shot at the State’s top political throne is uncertain. For the first time since 2003, she is not being projected as the BJP’s Chief Ministerial face in the State.
A highway divides Gogunda village from its fields; on one side, a crowd of men and children are patiently waiting to see Ms. Raje’s helicopter land on the freshly built helipad. On the other side, in a pandal built for the former CM’s speech, a group of women decked in traditional ghagra choli and silver jewellery are being invited to sit on the ground at the front of the stage.
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Ms. Raje, whose political clout is at stake after the BJP decided to go with collective leadership in Rajasthan, has started her election campaign later than usual; in previous polls, she had organised yatras months before election day to connect with the people. However, this time, the BJP high command has reportedly declined tickets for some of her loyalists in this election for the 200-member Assembly.
In what seems to be a strategic bid to create a new cohort of State leaders, the saffron party has fielded seven Members of Parliament in the polls. Since the beginning of her high voltage campaign, Ms. Raje has been avoiding media interactions and the likely question of why she is not being projected as the BJP’s choice for the State’s top spot.
Promoting MLA booked on rape charges
Ms. Raje has come to Gogunda to seek votes for the BJP candidate and incumbent MLA Pratap Lal Bheel (Gameti), a tribal leader contesting one of the five Assembly seats in Udaipur district reserved for Scheduled Castes. Of the eight Assembly constituencies in the district, six were won by the BJP in 2018, while two went o the Congress.
A senior policeman on crowd control duty at Gogunda points out the paradox of the rally. “Irony dies a thousand deaths when Ms. Raje, Rajasthan’s most popular woman politician, decides to seek votes for a person who has been booked on rape charges twice in five years,” he says.
Dapu Bai, who has came to Gogunda from Punawali village just to see Ms. Raje, rubbishes the insinuation. “The allegations were politically motivated,” she says, claiming that the women who had accused the MLA of rape had withdrawn their complaint. “If our Rani is doing something, it has to be for our good,” she says, adding that Ms. Raje is a revered figure for women in Rajasthan as she has done a lot for them.
Asserting nari shakti
Ms. Raje, draped in a red chiffon saree, climbs to the stage at 1:30 p.m, welcomed with the title of ‘sherni (lioness)‘. Women’s voices echo a confident slogan: “Humari neta kaisi ho? Vasundhara Raje jaisi ho (How do you want your leader to be? Like Vasundhara Raje).
Hailing the strength of nari shakti (women’s power) on a stage managed by a woman, rare in political rallies, Ms. Raje says that the large numbers of women in the audience give her immense motivation, though the Gogunda rally is smaller than those held in larger towns. “I don’t enjoy unless I can see the eyes of the audience. I try to look into your eyes to know whether you all have come here to really support me or just for the sake of it,” she adds.
Championing tribals
She claims that the candidate, Mr. Gameti, has forgotten to count his achievements properly and proceeds to reel out a list of her own initiatives for tribal communities, implemented when she was CM, between 2003-08 and 2013-18.
“We gave a 20% rebate in bus fare for tribal people. We declared a holiday on August 9, which is world tribal day. We declared this area as a TSP [tribal sub-plan] area. We gave special coaching to tribal students, and we waived off the licence clause to transport 25 types of forest produce. We have also given free power connections to ST [Scheduled Tribe] and Saheria communities,” she recounts to a round of applause.
Ms. Raje then asks the people why they did not choose her as CM last time even when she has done so much for them.
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Attacking the Congress
She goes on the offensive, asking whether the Gehlot government had waived the loans of farmers, as it had promised. The audience responds: No.
She maintains that the Congress government’s scheme to give free electricity upto 100 units to each household is nothing but a gimmick, alleging that the surcharge on power has been sharply hiked. “In short, they are taking the money of those 100 units from you only,” she says, noting that her government had given domestic power supply to women 22 hours per day.
“Why have we done this? Because we know that when a house has electricity, it can run a fridge, a cooler, a bulb and a fan..... So that when they [men] come back home after working in 51 degrees [heat], you [women] can serve them chilled water,” Ms. Raje says.
Rani vs common woman
Binita, an intermediate student from Kamol village, is shocked. “She thinks that women need power only to serve chilled water to men,” Ms. Binita says., adding that a ‘rani (queen)’ cannot be expected to relate to the struggles of the common man — or woman.
In a semi pucca house barely 500 metres from the rally ground, the elderly Bhoorilal says he would prefer Alwar’s BJP MP Baba Balaknath, presently contesting from the Tijara assembly seat, as a CM candidate for Rajasthan. “U.P. me ek baba ne dekho kya kamal kar dia. Ye baba humare Rajasthan me bhi wahi kar dega (You saw what wonders a Baba has done in U.P. This baba will do the same wonders in Rajasthan.)“
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Multiple stints needed
By 4 p.m., Ms. Raje is winding up her second public meeting of the day, in Sirohi’s Jawal area, around 120 km from Gogunda, where she is campaigning for Ota Ram Dewasi, a one-time temple priest, who lost the 2018 election to on-and-off-Congress candidate Sanyam Lodha. As Mr. Dewasi’s supporters make their way to the pandal, dancing to the beat of the dhol (drum), Ms. Raje says its important for her to first get the blessings of god, then of the saints, and finally of the people.
At her evening rally in Reodar, also in Sirohi district, Ms. Raje criticises the Gehlot government for making petrol extraordinarily expensive in Rajasthan, and for failing to prevent the recent death of a baby mauled by stray dogs.
“Gujarat is neighbouring to you. Have you seen how that State changed unbelievably? It is because there, people voted for BJP multiple times in a row. We cant do everything in five years,” she says, pleading with voters to give the BJP multiple stints in Rajasthan as well.
Crimes against women
Ms. Raje is visiting only a couple of constituencies in most districts, but in Sirohi, known as the gateway to Mount Abu, she is campaigning for candidates in all three seats: Sirohi, Reodar, and Pindwara Abu.
The BJP candidate for the ST reserved Pindwara Abu seat is the incumbent MLA Samaram Garasiya. Thanking the woman at this last rally who patiently waited for her even past sunset, leaving their household work behind, Ms. Raje asks whether mothers here are not afraid of sending their girls out, to school or coaching, as crimes against woman hit new lows.
“My head hangs in shame when I hear that maximum atrocities against women in the country are taking place in Rajasthan. Our heart keeps beating until our daughter comes home in the evening. Do you want your daughters to run on Scooty fearlessly, or stay confined to their homes?” she asks.
In its manifesto for Rajasthan, the BJP has promised to set up anti-Romeo squads and a women police station in every district, as well as 33% reservation for women in the police force and bikes for meritorious girls.
Hopeful invitation
“Mai peele chawal chord kar jaa rahi hu, is vishwaas me ki aap inko jitaoge [I am leaving yellow rice behind as an invitation for all of you, with the hope that you will vote for the BJP],” Ms. Raje signs off as she heads for a late night party meeting.
Moni Bai, a tribal woman from Kojra village of Abu left the rally late that night, dissatisfied as she could not get a selfie with her leader. “I will vote for BJP only because my Rani has asked me to,” she said.
