Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP Jhalawar-Baran candidate Dushyant Singh strikes chord with voters

“Aapne mujhe hamesha ghar ke sadasya ki tarah rakkha, aur mere ghar ke darwaze aap logo ke liye hamesh khule rahenge (you have always treated me as a family member and doors of my house will always remain open for you),” BJP candidate Dushyant Singh tells voters at Salri village in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district during his election campaign.

A BJP MP from Jhalawar-Baran consecutively for three terms, Dushyant is striking a personal chord with the voters of his constituency, with which he and his mother, Vasundhara Raje, have been associated for more than 3 decades now. He is seeking votes, citing development works done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former chief minister Raje.

Raje remained the BJP MP from Jhalawar-Baran for consecutive five terms from 1989 till 2003, when she became the chief minister of Rajasthan for the first time. Dushyant took over the baton from his mother and has remained unbeaten as an MP from Jhalawar-Baran since 2004.

Raje was elected the BJP MLA four times since 2003 from the Jhalarapatan assembly seat that comes under the Jhalawar-Baran Lok Sabha constituency.

Dushyant is up against Congress candidate Pramod Sharma who is a BJP turncoat. Polling will be held in Jhalawar-Baran on April 29. Raje joined Dushyant’s campaign on Sunday.

Asked why there has been no star campaigner, Dushyant said, “Former chief minister and BJP national vice president Vasundhara Raje is the star campaigner in Jhalawar, who has served as an MLA and an MP here in the last 3 decades; Jhalawar is also our family with whom we have ties.”

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The carcade of Dushyant moves towards Salri village from the Jhalawar-Indore mega highway. The convoy stops near a temple for a while where villagers with folded hands greet him. Dushyant shakes hands with them before moving ahead to Salri where he addresses a small corner meeting. Before him, a car fitted with a music system reaches the venue and a song – ‘Vote denge Modi ko, kamal ka button daba ke’ – blares out.

“Modi sahab aur Vasundhara ji ke kaam par aap logo ko vote dena hai,” Dushyant, wearing white kurta-pyjama, appeals to the gathering through a public address system. Villagers and party workers garland him.

Many villagers criticised the almost 4-month tenure of the Congress-led state government, accusing it of failing to fulfil poll promises of complete farm loan waiver and providing unemployment allowance to the youth.

Dushyant entered the house of a BJP worker and after having tea there, he sat on the bike of a party worker to go to the other end of the village for offering condolence to ex-sarpanch Shyam Manohar Joshi.

Cement concrete roads in the village speak about development but many villagers point out lack of a drinking water overhead tank.

Dushyant then moves to Soyala village where tents have been erected for his welcome. He sits on the floor with the villagers. As Dushyant appeals for vote, Rambabu Sharma, a villager, says, “There is lack of road in the village and despite voting for BJP, the situation has remained the same.” Some other villagers join Rambabu and vent out their discontent over lack of a road.

The situation turns relaxed when Dushyant reached Divalkhera village, where party workers and villagers weighed him with fruits. He cited development works done under Modi and Raje. An elderly villager complained to Dushyant about lack of a doctor at the health centre. Dushyant assured him to look into it.

He is again up against complaints as he reaches Semlikham village. Villagers complained that Semlikham was supposed to be connected to the Gagreen drinking water scheme but water supply has not started yet.

Dushyant immediately called the Jhalawar district collector from his mobile phone. He told villagers that the collector did not pick up his call call but he would address the issue in a week’s time. Dushyant gave his mobile numbers to the villagers for informing him about their problems.

After spending around half an hour at the village, the carcade of Dushyant headed for Dubliya village. On his way to Dubliya, Dushyant and his supporters take lunch in the cars.

Dushyant was greeted at Dubliya with beats of drums and garlands were offered to him. Dushyant again referred to his relations with the residents by remembering his personal connect with the father of the Dubliya village sarpanch who died some years ago.

“You must have seen the development in the village before Raje was elected from Jhalawar and now you can see the difference,” he told villagers.

Dushyant focuses more on his personal ties with votes and development in Jhalawar and rarely cites nationalism or national security, which drive the BJP campaign elsewhere.

At some places, his supporters did mention surgical strike on Pakistan (after Pulwama attack) but Dushyant did not speak about the issue.

Though Dushyant had made a hat-trick of victories from Jhalawar-Baran, he was not given a cabinet berth in the Modi government. Asked if he rues over not being part of the Modi government, Dushyant replied “When chief minister is from Jhalawar, then there is no question of lack of representation as she adequately put up issues of Jhalawar with Modi government.”

The change in the face of Jhalawar in last two decades is visible on the road network connecting villages to towns. “There is comprehensive development of Jhalawar-Baran in the last 30 years, when my mother and I started representing the constituency,” Dushyant said.

“Jhalawar and Jhalarapatan towns have got railway connectivity, a new medical college and hospital has been established in Jhalawar, thermal power plants in Jhalawar and Baran districts, sports complex, cement concrete roads in towns and villages, industries, agriculture and horticulture promotion, skill development, Mukundra hills tiger reserve and other development works.”

Om Prakash of Salri village said, “Development of roads and other infrastructure has taken place in the village during the tenure of Dushyant Singh.”

When asked if he is contesting against a relatively weak candidate of the Congress, Dushyant said, “No candidate is weak and should not be underestimated”.

Dushyant begins his campaign at 7.30 am and takes around 15-16 meetings till midnight. His wife Niharika Singh was present with him during his filing of nomination, but she usually campaigns separately at other places of the constituency.