Dholpur bypoll a prestige fight for Vasundhara Raje regime

Jaipur: BJP’s stupendous victory in recently concluded Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh seems to be having rubbing effect in neighbouring Rajasthan where voting for Dholpur Assembly seat by-election will take place on April 9.

The ruling party is confident of winning back the seat it lost in the last Assembly elections, while the rival Congress appears to be low on morale. The BSP, which previously held the seat, has not fielded a candidate. The seat fell vacant after B.L. Kushwaha of the BSP was recently convicted in a murder case. He fought the election from jail and came out only to take oath.    

This time, his wife Shobha Rani is contesting on the BJP ticket. She joined the party immediately after the court verdict came.

The Congress, on the other hand, has again fielded octogenarian Banwari Lal Sharma, who is a five-time MLA, and had once even defeated Vasundhara Raje. He lost to Kushwaha last time while the BJP came third. But, falling back on an old leader failed to boost the morale of Congress workers, who are already dejected after recent poll debacle in UP.

Losing an election in her fiefdom after a huge victory in the neighbouring state, with which Dholpur also has caste and cultural affinity, would be an embarrassment for the CM. Being former Maharani of Dholpur, she also has to salvage pride from unexpected defeat in the last Assembly elections that too when riding on Modi wave, the party won 163 out of 200 seats.