Rajasthan held two by-elections today in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Ajmer and Alwar, and the second for Mandalgarh assembly which began at 8 A.M. on Monday. The two leading contenders for the Ajmer Lok Sabha by-polls today are Congress’s’ Raghu Sharma and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJPs) Ramswarup Lamba. Congress proposed former MP Karan Singh Yadav while the BJP fronted labor minister Jaswant Singh Yadav for the Alwar Lok Sabha seat.
The Mandalgarh assembly seats are being contested between BJP’s Shakti Singh Hada and Congress’s Vivek Dhakad.
All the seats became vacant following the deaths of Alwar MP Chand Nath, Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari, and Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat.
End of Campaigns
As stipulated by the Electoral Commission (EC) all campaigns in regards to the by-poll seats being contested had to come to an end on Saturday. Each candidate concluded their campaigns for today’s electoral exercises. Raghu Sharma Congress candidate is a Brahmin. During his campaign on Saturday, he adorned the role of Kshatriyas – nurturing and supporting – a strategy Congress says will help them clinch Ajmer Lok Sabha seat.
On the other hand, the BJP convoy final stop was Bajrang Garh crossroad under the leadership of Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje. At one point she asked Lamba to speak to the constituents, but he shied away. Lamba is not a politician yet. He comes to the contest to replace his late father; Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat.
Electoral Commission Setup and Statistics
The EC is the controlling body for the three by polls and according to them; they have set up a total of 1,987 polling booths in Alwar Lok Sabha constituency. Ajmer Lok Sabha constituency is comprised of 1,925 polling booths to allow constituents practice their democratic rights – voting to elect their representatives. The EC, setup 282 polling booths in Mandalgarh assembly constituency for voting.
EC statistics dictate that there are 2.31 lakh voters in Mandalgarh, 18.27 lakh voters in Alwar and 18.42 lakh voters in Ajmer. The contestants in the race for Alwar are eleven. Ajmer has 23 contestants while Mandalgarh has eight contestants.
Possible Outcomes
Congress party predicts that their candidate may be the winner for the Ajmer Lok Sabha based on predictions that Raghu Sharma is a Brahmin hence will pocket the 1.5 lakh Brahmin votes. The BJP has also angered the Gujjars and the Muslims in the region likely to make them vote for Raghu. Muslims constitutes 2.75 lakh and Gujjars 2.15 lakh voters in the region.
