Jodhpur: The Lok Sabha constituency of Jodhpur, in the desert state of Rajasthan, has become one of the toughest battles in the ongoing general elections where Union minister and incumbent member of parliament Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is pitted against Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot.
The high profile battle is also being pitched as “mooch ki ladai” (battle for one’s honour) as a sitting union minister takes on the chief minister's son. While BJP’s electoral battle effort is being led by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, the opposing side is banking on the image and work of chief minister Ashok Gehlot for securing a win on the seat
The major part of the campaign burden for Vaibhav is being carried by his Chief Minister father, who has been camping on and off in the constituency ever since he was named as the candidate.
Though, the son of a sitting chief minister of state is being pitted in the contest, the BJP has decided not to give a walk over to Vaibhav and has deployed its top most leaders to secure votes for Mr Shekhawat. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresed a rally seeking support for the party candidate on April 22, his party chief Amit Shah participated in a roadshow in support of Shekhawat in Jodhpur on April 26.
Shekhawat had won the seat in Lok Sabha 2014 polls defeating Chandresh Kumari of the Congress with a margin of over four lakh votes.
Interestingly, while the top central leadership to the BJP has been seeking votes for its Jodhpur candidate, its Congress counterparts are missing in action and the entire canvassing is being controlled and run by Ashok Gehlot camp.
A few ministers in Gehlot Cabinet, including deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, have also made brief appearances during the campaigning for Mr Gehlot’s son.
While the Congress is relying on its victory in six of the eight Assembly seats in the constituency in the December 2018 polls, the BJP is hoping that PM Narendra Modi’s name and Shekhawat’s popularity will help it sail through.
Interestingly, it was in 1980 — the year of Vaibhav’s birth — that Mr Gehlot first contested from the prestigious constituency. Jodhpur is known to be a bastion of Mr Gehlot, the current and three-time CM of Rajasthan. He has represented Jodhpur five times in the Lok Sabha before shifting to state politics.
The Jodhpur constituency will go to polls on April 29 in the fourth phase of the seven phase Lok Sabha election.
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