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Editor's note: This article presents the travel notes of a student in Indian politics and is a journal marking the period leading up to the 2019 general election. The work of Sandip Ghose as a leader marketing takes it deep into the country 's interiors, allowing it to listen to India' s concerns and make sense of them. These pieces will go hand in hand with the frequency of his travels. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Ghose's employer.
Read the series here
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Upon entering Kota, we see a statue of Rajiv Gandhi sitting on a rock with a laptop. Probably inspired by Rodin's famous "thinker" sculpture, it is ironic at different levels. Hidden in the southeast corner of Rajasthan, is the closest Indian comparison that can be made with Western university towns. But it would always be a huge effort of imagination.
Kota is not a modern day Nalanda. He does not have a famous university. If education can be described as an industry, Kota is what Detroit was for automobiles in the United States.
Upon entering Kota, we see a statue of Rajiv Gandhi sitting on a rock with a laptop. Image / Sandip Ghose / Firstpost
Each year, Kota's coaching factories send more than 150,000 students to the entrance exams at the faculties of engineering and medicine. The city's economy revolves around the coaching industry, whose turnover was estimated at Rs 1,500 crore in 2016. It might have broken through the crore of Rs 3,000.
The tycoons of Kota's training are the new Maharajah-s. Naturally, they hold an enormous political weight. But the ancient royal Kota, or Kotah as it was called, also make the news today. Meanwhile, when entering the city, many billboards from a Shanti Dhariwal, the heavyweight of the local Congress, greet us. On the other hand, the presence of BJP on the city's skyline is muffled. This can be attributed in part to the BJP's late submission of candidates.
Shanti Dhariwal has old roots in Kota. Prime Minister Ashok Gehlot, however, he lost the last election because of the wave of Narendra Modi. His contributions to the development of the city are recognized. Among his many notable achievements is the construction of Kota's flagship tourist attraction – the "Seven Wonders Park". Still, people are not entirely sure of his victory this time around. The answer to this question lies in the underlying cross-currents and internal conflicts within the different factions of Congress.
Congress faced a minor revolt after the party published its list of candidates in Rajasthan. But the BJP too. People have pointed out that the difference is when the chances of winning are greater than the loss of tickets hurts. The atmosphere in Congress is brighter now, because those who are left behind have more anxiety than those of the BJP who might consider it secretly as a blessing in disguise.
My local partner insisted that I move to the residence of Kota Royalty Brijraj Bhawan. The courtyard was staffed by party employees dressed in BJP scarves. Just a few days ago, the crowd dressed in the colors of Congress. Quickly at the last minute, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje convinced King Royal Ijyaraj Singh by offering a ticket to his wife, Kalpana Raje. Singh was the former congressman of Kota-Bundi. The family was shocked by the party that chose the wife of Congress leader Naimuddin Guddu on it.
A month ago, Ijyaraj had figured prominently in the Congressional Communication. He was seen receiving Rahul Gandhi when he went to Kota to take part in an election rally at the end of October. He has not yet removed the photos from his Facebook page at the time of writing this article.
Picture of Sandip Ghose / Firstpost
This is perceived as a kind of coup d'etat. While Kalpana Raje will mobilize Hindu votes in his constituency, being the former deputy and former royal deputy, Ijyaraj Singh enjoys considerable appeal in the wider Kota region. In addition, it should neutralize the gains that Congress hopes to gain from Manvendra Singh by campaigning throughout the region, including Raje's Jhalawar constituency.
More importantly, the enthronement of Kota royalty would help appease the Rajput lobby, which was a minimal cut. with Vasundhara.
I was introduced to the office of replacement in the outer toilet. There are still fears of meeting politicians at election time. But I was pleasantly surprised by the Maharao, who wore none of the arrogance characteristic of politicians or the typical tunes of royalty. The two together can make a deadly combination as we have seen in other political princes and princesses. Ijyaraj has almost become a reluctant politician. It may be because he had not yet fully adapted to the new saffron livery.
Kalpana Raje was campaigning in his riding while the Prince ran the office from his home. But it is clear that Brijraj Bhavan was the center of action. Speaking of the mood of the electorate, Ijyaraj looked cautious. But, when he was mildly provoked by saying that he did not seem very enthusiastic – he soon questioned us, we are very confident about our constituency, but we have to see what is happening around us.
This is the common chorus that we hear around the state. . One can interpret either as a courageous facade or a cautious optimism. But that reinforces the impression that it's a much tighter contest now than it appeared a while ago. Without a doubt, the stock of the BJP has increased considerably in recent weeks. Much of the credit goes to the skillful chess game of Vasundhara Raje.
Kota falls in the region of Hadoti in Rajasthan, which includes the districts of Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar. Nourished by the Chambal, it is the relatively more fertile part of the state. Seth Bhamashah Mandi, of Kota, is one of the largest in the country. It markets cotton, millet, wheat, coriander, garlic and oilseeds.
Industries are few. Among the handful of larger units are thermal power plants, fertilizers and caustic soda. Apart from this, stone polishing, traditional textiles, cotton and oilseed processing are the only ones important.
Coaching institutes have largely provided jobs for educated professionals across the country. The large student population has certainly stimulated the urban economy but has not helped much in rural areas.
The region therefore remains essentially dependent on agriculture. And, there is friction. Unlike other parts of Rajasthan, the anxiety in Hadoti is directed towards the Center. Policies Demonetization and the GST are the popular culprits, but come with a twist.
The traders I met usually liked demonetization as a "one shot" drug for capturing black money. But what they did not negotiate was the transparency and digitization they would achieve. How to ensure that the business is conducted entirely in blank, was asked in all innocence.
Similarly, the GST is universally recognized as a good reform for which the time has come. However, they criticize the government for failing to think about the implementation and the increase in bureaucracy. A dealer said: "Large companies have the necessary staff to produce the returns. Whereas for us, we have to do everything. Where do we have time? Why could not they make quarterly compliance instead of monthly?
But they are indulgent to Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister's intentions are good ( "nek" ), but they were misled and disappointed by ministers and bureaucracy. Here, surprisingly, the name of Piyush Goyal appears. One person said that someone like Goyal would have better understood the pains of traders. He refers to some of the "merchant-friendly" decisions taken during Goyal's temporary stay at the Ministry of Finance.
Surprisingly, central government regimes such as PMAY and Ujjwala are not much discussed. The highly prized smart city project, in which Kota was selected, did not start. The focus has been more on government programs.
Vasundhara Raje remains popular. The Jaipur-Jhalawar highway earned him huge acclaim. With Udaipur already well connected to Kota, the area has become much more accessible. This has undoubtedly contributed to development and prosperity.
The Jhalawar Airport Project, which will also serve the neighboring areas of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, will be a major badet as railways are currently the main lifeline.
By the end of the day, although they may express frustration with the BJP government, loyal voters can still press the Lotus button on the shipping modules.
The Kuan Express is a pleasure to drive. The Sheetal Tonk Hotel is one of the few places where you can take a break and have a drink of comfort. It is there that Yunus Khan, BJP's patent candidate, camps with his troops.
Picture of Sandip Ghose / Firstpost
Khan's choice to oppose Sachin Pilot was perhaps a "googly" tricked by Raje in this election. The importance of Raje's decision has not yet been fully integrated into the political clbad outside the constituency. But Tonk's BJP Karyakartas sees this as a master shot with good chances of success.
Normally, the votes of the minority would have naturally turned to Congress. Everyone is waiting impatiently to see if Khan's entry is going to be stranger. With BJP bet on the SC / ST act, Khan could also collect some of the votes back from the clbad.
Another factor that might work in Khan's favor is that he is considered a candidate parachuted to Tonk with a mission. Otherwise, he would surely have defeated his riding of Didwana. Regardless of the outcome, Khan will leave Tonk before the next election, leaving the field free for former BJP leaders.
On the other hand, Pilot is perceived as such. a threat by the local Congress leadership. If he wins, then he is likely to make Tonk his home riding. It will not really please the leaders of the minority community who were leading the camp here.
Although Driver may still succeed, it will not be a walk for him as many would have expected.
It is there that lies the importance of Vasundhara. Raje Scindia – the strategist. His own holdings in these surveys are arguably the highest. If Sachin Pilot loses the war, he is young enough to wait to fight another day. Ashok Gehlot saw everything and did everything. He would be happy to play Rahul Gandhi's Chanakya in Delhi. Modi and Amit Shah will take part in the biggest battle for Delhi. But for Vasundhara, a defeat could mean a long-term political failure.
In these circumstances, Raje played his cards brilliantly.
First, she undoubtedly established her indispensable for BJP as far as Rajasthan goes. This is reflected in the way she has distinguished herself in the distribution of tickets to her loyalists and has now gained the support of RSS for her weight. Second, she repaired bridges with different blocks of castes in the state.
But his greatest success was to sow disarray in the ranks of Congress.
She brought BJP back to the race with a lot of luck. Now, with a little help from Modi in the negotiations, when he is supposed to deal with 10 exchanges, she risks breaking Jaipur's fate and coming back for a second consecutive term.
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