Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is receiving a lot of love from the lands of Jhlarapatan, and who seems to be getting jealous is quite guessable – it is Manvendra Singh.
With these two fielded against each other, it seems like there is no competition at all. Why? You may ask! It is quite simple and pure logic. Jhalarapatan is Raje’s land; it’s her empire. Congress Manvendra Singh will not pose any danger to the BJP candidate.
This is what Chief Minister Raje said: “The Congress could not find any candidate, and as Manvendra was to be given ticket from somewhere, he was sent to Jhalarapatan. But they should know it is not a fight of one person but this is a contest fought by Jhalawar and Rajasthan, which is a family.”
CM Raje has been the three-times-elected and the most likable MLA from Jhalarapatan since 2003. In 2013, what happened is not hidden from anybody. The queen enjoyed a thumping majority of 60,000 votes over her opponent Meenakshi Chandrawat. This is quite a sniff of CM Raje winning it all over again in 2018.
Over 33,000 votes in this area belong to minorities, around 34,000 votes are from Scheduled castes and approximately 22,000 votes are from Rajputs.
The Jhalarapatan area has been inundated and swamped with developments; technological or infrastructural, and this was not news in the Vasundhara Raje era – development was perpetual during her ongoing reign.
“Here my supporters are not just BJP workers – we have a relationship of mother-son, mother-daughter and brother-sister. We are all family and my family here has given me love and hope.” CM Raje said while inaugurating the booth workers meet in October this year. CM Raje said she has a deep connection with this district. “She has a deep connection with the place,” she added.
Recently, a media agency named India Today visited the area to watch the current sentiments. Here is what people said and they quoted.
“Everyone is happy with Vasundhara ji over here. There is no problem. Good work has happened during her tenure. Kota stone will continue the way it has been,” one of the factory workers said.
“Yes. She will win by one lakh votes. There are no problems… Yes, work has definitely happened since she came to Jhalawar. Since ’89, there have been Railway lines. International Airport in Jhalawar happened because of her,” said Ashok Kumar Mittal, another shopkeeper.
“Sir, we have no problem. What madam has done, no one can do. Am definitely happy with the work that has been done here,” said Rajendra Sharma, a shopkeeper.
Here is what Vasundhara Raje said: “Enthusiasm has not gone down. Enthusiasm has gone up only and I have said to everyone that if you have to see enthusiasm, (if you) have to see (a) united family, if you have to see 36 communities raising (their) voice(s) in unison, then come to Jhalawar, (you) will get to see that. What I am proud of, Will get to see all of that over here… Even today I wish to say to everyone that all this that you can see in Jhalawar, that is only the trailer. We have to do a lot of work now. But I want to tell you that in 30 years, we completed the roads, are in the process of taking the train out from here. Not just one, but a few planes are landing here. Helicopters have come. Jhalawar has not remained a small place… This is only the start. It’s that place which nobody remembered, did not know. Now, give five more years, everyone will know what Jhalawar is.”
