BANSWARA: Known as Rajasthan’s tribal heartland, Banswara likely stands out as the only constituency nationwide where Congress is campaigning against its party nominee, and in favour of a fledgling Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP).
Internal conflicts within the grand old party, lack of coordination between its state and central units, and high command’s hesitance compelled it to tie up with the five-month old BAP on the latter’s terms. Congress’ own candidate, Arvind Damor, however, remains in the fray as well.
A similar scenario is unfolding in the bypolls to the Bagidora seat, an assembly constituency under Banswara LS segment. Here, Congress workers are engaged in door-to-door campaigning for BAP candidate Jaikrishn Patel, opposing their own nominee Kapur Singh. Both seats go to polls on April 26.
After defeat in the 2023 assembly elections, Congress initiated talks to form an alliance with BAP, a party that secured three seats in the tribal region. The talks hit a roadblock as BAP insisted on three LS seats — Udaipur, Banswara and Chittorgarh — for its candidates in exchange for backing Congress candidates in the remaining 22 parliamentary seats.
Former CM Ashok Gehlot, state president Govind Singh Dotasra, Sachin Pilot and local office-bearers, sources said, were wary of a tie up with BAP, with a section labelling the tribal party as “ambitious”.
Congress decided to bet on four-term MLA and former cabinet minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya as its LS nominee from Banswara and in the first week of Feb, the party’s core committee in Banswara and Dungarpur endorsed his candidacy. However, on Feb 19, Malviya defected to BJP, allegedly bitter over not being made leader of the opposition in the assembly.
“Upon his crossing over to BJP, it became evident that Malviya would be picked as the saffron party’s candidate in Banswara. Congress not only bid farewell to a prominent figure, but also a chunk of voters. This led to a renewed debate on the need to discuss an alliance with BAP,” a party source said.
By Feb, BAP had made it clear that its founding member and two-term MLA, Rajkumar Roat, would contest the parliamentary election from Banswara. “Poor coordination between state office-bearers and central decision makers delayed alliance talks,” Roat, who filed his nomination on April 3, told TOI.
“Many times, Congress functionaries rescheduled the time and date of negotiations,” said BAP’s national president, Mohanlal Roat.
“It left us with no hope for an alliance, which is why we fielded our candidates in Banswara, Udaipur and Chittorgarh,” he added.
Bungle in Banswara: Why Congress is opposing its own man
Jittery over BAP’s candidature, Congress empowered its district units in Banswara and Dungarpur to finalise candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly bypoll seats the night before the last date of nomination on April 4. “The party announced its NSUI functionary Damor as its candidate. We started campaigning for him as soon as the nominations were filed,” a leader said.
“News that Damor’s nomination was a low-key affair with a handful of people while Roat and Malviya pulled close to one lakh people in their nomination rallies reached the Congress brass,” a senior party functionary said. “A section within Congress was supporting Roat to defeat their former colleague Malviya.”
The story took another twist when Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa announced an alliance with BAP in Banswara on April 7. “Arvind Damor and Kapur Singh will withdraw their nominations in support of BAP,” Randhawa said, announcing that both nominees would withdraw their candidature in favour of BAP, now an INDIA bloc partner.
Damor, however, had different plans. He went “underground” upon learning he was to withdraw his nomination, and showed up only after the deadline for withdrawal of nomination was over. Congress was quick to announce that Damor and Kapur would be suspended for six months for anti-party activities and directed its workers to campaign for BAP. A formal suspension order, however, never followed, leaving room for the party leadership to bring the errant duo around.
As a face-saver, Congress downplayed the series of events by asserting that supporting BAP was in line with its national policy to support parties and candidates who had the potential to defeat BJP.
INDIA bloc’s baffling business vis a vis BAP, however, doesn’t stop at Banswara. While BAP and Congress have agreed to work together in Banswara, BAP has fielded candidates against Congress in Udaipur and Chittorgarh.
As far as Banswara goes, however, Roat has lent his support to the alliance. “The tie-up was deemed necessary due to the prevailing sentiment against BJP in the country. INDIA bloc partners found it imperative to come together because BJP exceeded all limits. They incarcerated Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren and suspended Cong and opposition MPs from Parliament. This govt displayed autocratic tendencies. It is crucial that individuals from diverse ideologies together put an end to this dictatorship,” Roat said.
BJP’s Malviya, meanwhile, claimed people are angry with the INDIA bloc. “Cong doesn’t exist here at all. BAP is fighting this election by spreading lies. Who will bring rail connectivity and power plants here, BAP or BJP? It is quite clear that BJP will,” he said.