Congress contender Jyoti Mirdha wants to carry forward the family legacy but party rebel and current BSP contender Abdul Ajeez may erode her vote bases, spoiling her chances.
Though the main battle is expected to be between this grand daughter of six-time MP Nathu Ram Mirdha and BJP nominee Bindu Choudhary, BSP's Ajeez may eat into the Congress vote bases here because of his old association with the party. The constituency is going to the polls on May 7.
Ajeez, a former Congress MLA and education Minister in Ashok Gehlot-led previous Rajasthan Government, is expected to dent the prospects of the Congress as he is from the minority community.
While Mirdha is heavily banking on her grandfather's name and reputation, she is battling against the outsider tag. On the other hand, her rival Choudhary is trying to cash in her image as a local leader. "Drinking water is the main issue for the constituency, where approximately 85 percent area is rural with 1,595 revenue villages," Choudhary said.
Even the residents of the constituency say drinking water is the main problem of the area and they would vote for a candidate who can solve their age-old problem.
Choudhary alleges that Mirdha is an "outsider" and she is here just to contest the polls."How can one expect her to visit the constituency once and solve problems if she wins because she has nothing to do with politics and locals, and is just trying to cash in on her grandfather's image for victory?" Choudhary asked.
The seat has always been dominated by Jat candidates as the community accounts for maximum voters here, followed by Muslims and Rajputs. Poll observers say this is precisely the reason why both the BJP and the Congress have fielded Jat candidates. However, BSP nominee, who is from the minority community, says he does not believe in caste equation.
"The caste factor has been dominating politics here, but it is time for a change because people need overall development," Ajeez said.
