General caste voters hold key in unreserved Dausa constituency

Dausa: With BJP having fielded a Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate and Congress one from the Scheduled Caste (SC) in the unreserved Dausa assembly constituency for the Nov 13 bypoll, the result of this closely contested electoral race will be determined by the voting preference of general category electors. The SC and ST communities have almost equal number of voters in the constituency.At a tea stall near Gandhi Circle in Dausa, an animated discussion among a group of locals sipping the steaming brew pauses for a few seconds of silence immediately after one of them asserts his opinion. "Dausa mein general faislo karego is baar," (General category voters will be the deciding factor this time)," observes Kailash Chand Meena, and everyone there looks at him with barely concealed agreement. The discussion resumes when Ram Kishan Meena, another customer, adds, "Koi bhi jeet sakta hai. 2000-5000 ka margin rahega (Anyone can win; the victory margin will be 2,000-5,000 votes)".The bypoll in Dausa was necessitated as Congress's Murali Lal Meena, a three-time MLA from the constituency, was elected to Lok Sabha earlier this year. Congress has fielded Deendayal Bairwa, who is popularly known as DC and believed to have close ties with the Dausa MP and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. BJP has nominated Jagmohan Meena, a retired RAS officer and brother of cabinet minister Kirori Lal Meena. The elder Meena has been conducting numerous public meetings and door-to-door campaigns daily as though it is he who is in the electoral fray.The Meenas (ST) account for nearly 25% of the total voters in Dausa, followed by the SCs at 23%, the general category at 15%, the Gurjars at 10%, the Malis at 6% and Muslims at 5%. The constituency has 2.46 lakh eligible voters."The votes of Brahmins and other general categories will prove decisive in this tight race. Jagmohan has a slight edge. However, the margin shall be minimal," says Gokul, a shopkeeper. Mahesh, another shopkeeper, disagrees, saying general category voters might support Congress due to apprehension that a Meena's victory could transform this seat into a ‘reserved constituency' permanently.While Murari Lal Meena of the ST community won the unreserved seat for two consecutive times in 2018 and 2023, BJP's Shankar Lal Sharma, of a general category, won in 2013. Murari Lal Meena had won the seat on a BSP ticket in 2008."The party (Congress) wanted one of my family members to contest the bypoll but I declined. This marks the first instance when any party has fielded an SC candidate in Dausa. Hence there is enthusiasm among SC voters. They have consistently supported me, right from the beginning. I owe them at lot. If I help Bairwa become an MLA this time, my obligation shall be fulfilled. I am confident of his electoral success," said Murari Lal Meena told TOI while holding a meeting at the party's election office in Dausa.The MP hastened to add, "During Lok Sabha polls, despite cabinet minister Kirori Lal Meena's extensive efforts to ensure my defeat, I won comfortably. He will not succeed this time either."Congress functionaries, however, acknowledged that while Dausa witnesses a neck-and-neck contest, BJP maintains a slight advantage because a cabinet minister's brother is in the fray. "The Congress ticket was given to a loyalist of Murari's because the MP prevented any family member from contesting after BJP fielded Kirori's brother. Caste considerations have superseded all other issues this time," said one.During a visit to a private senior secondary school, Jagmohan Meena leveraged his brother's influence. "I am receiving overwhelmingly positive responses from the constituents. BJP will secure this seat. The change represents nature's law, which is inevitable. The old gives way to the new. All senior BJP functionaries, including Kiroriji, are campaigning vigorously. Nearly 20-25 MLAs and party functionaries are working tirelessly," he said. " I shall promote social harmony, eliminating caste-based discrimination through social and political awareness initiatives," Jagmohan told TOI.Congress candidate Deendayal Bairwa hopes Pilot's Nov 10 rally in Dausa will ensure major electoral advantages in his favour.

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