Dodasra is confident that Congress will win all seven by-elections as people are dissatisfied with the BJP government.
Jaipur: In the by-elections to seven constituencies in Rajasthan, both the BJP and the Congress fastened their seat belts. This byelection is important not only for the BJP but also for the Congress. Rather, it is a litmus test for Congress. Also, it is a big challenge for state president Govind Singh Dodasra. He surprised everyone by outperforming other state leaders in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections during his tenure. During the assembly elections, when the central leadership was expecting only 30-40 seats, the Congress managed to silence its critics by bagging 70 seats, a victory in which Dodasra played a key role.
Dodasra, who belonged to the Jat community, ensured that his caste votes were united. However, if the Gurjar and Meena communities had supported the Congress in the assembly elections, the result would have been different. Ashok Khelat may have managed to retain his government, but these two communities defected from the party.
The attitude of the central leadership was neither condescending nor pragmatic. Had they effectively managed the situation with leader Sachin Pilot, who rebelled against the government just before the elections, the results would have been different. However, under Dodasra's leadership, the Congress caused a huge shock by defeating the BJP in 11 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, a feat that few in Rajasthan expected.
Congress has done a brilliant job of social engineering. It defeated the BJP in 11 seats, targeting Jats, Meenas, Dalits and backward caste voters. Dodasra handled the Jat-dominated areas in his own way and took a big step by ceding his Sikar parliamentary constituency to CPI(M)'s Amararam in the alliance. At the same time, Rahul Kaswan, who had a grudge against the BJP, was forced to join the Congress and got a ticket from Churu. As a result, the Congress won all the seats in Shekhawati and this victory affected the outcome of Nagaur and Parmar as well. The BJP lost all these constituencies. Dottasra was the only leader who did not refrain from directly attacking the Sangh and the BJP. Other leaders are cautious. His reward for this was that Rahul Gandhi retained him even after his first term. Dodasra took charge of the party in 2020 at a time when Sachin Pilot rebelled and attempted to overthrow the government. The party sacked Pilot and appointed Dodasra as president. He later took charge of the party along with Chief Minister Ashok Khelat. After surpassing expectations in the assembly polls, the BJP suffered a major setback in Rajasthan during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, followed by Uttar Pradesh. In terms of number of seats, in Rajasthan, the Congress lost half the seats to the BJP. Under Pilot's leadership, the party failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019. However, after the victory in Haryana, the BJP's spirits are high. In such a situation, the path of by-elections is not easy for the Congress, but in a special conversation, there is no change in Dodasra's attitude. Thodasra says BJP will get zero seats out of seven seats. Congress will win all the seats. Dodasra listed several reasons for his victory in the by-election. It is said that in the last 11 months, the BJP government has only cursed the Congress and stopped its government's welfare schemes.
This BJP government is a “drifting government”, working only on orders from Delhi, ministers and leaders are frustrated. There is also great discontent among the public. The BJP practiced polar politics by spreading lies during the assembly elections, but within six months people realized this and taught the party a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections. Rajasthan played a key role in preventing the BJP from winning a majority in the Lok Sabha, with 40 seats in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan being crucial. The BJP had high expectations in these two major Hindi belt states, but they played a key role in preventing the party from winning a majority.
Dotasra also says the BJP government is known for U-turns. The public is disillusioned with the government's 10-month rule and its internal contradictions. Due to infighting, the BJP government issued the order within 24 hours. In the education sector alone the government has to cancel many orders.
Dodasra says farmers are suffering due to BJP's misrule. Despite the BJP's promise to offer one lakh jobs to the youth in the first year, recruitment is yet to take place, leaving the youth frustrated. While earlier the BJP criticized the Congress government over law and order, today the law and order situation in the state is completely broken. Bharatpur, the Chief Minister's home district, now tops the list of crimes against women.
On factionalism within Congress, Dotasra claims that it no longer exists. All party members are united to strengthen the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. When asked about the future of the alliance in Lok Sabha, Thodasara said it was up to the high command to decide. He is confident of winning constituencies like Dausa, Jhunjhunu and Deoli Uniara, where Congress MPs have already been elected to the Lok Sabha.
The party is also hoping to win the Ramgarh constituency, which fell vacant after the death of MLA Zubar Khan. For Aam Aadmi, seats like Sourasi and Kinvsar currently belong to allied parties and Dotasra is looking for an alliance. The Chalambar constituency, which is vacant due to the death of a BJP MLA, is also expected to go to the Congress much to the dismay of the BJP government.
Commenting on the BJP's enthusiasm for its victory in Haryana, Dottasra insists that it will have no effect in Rajasthan. He mentions that a high-level committee has launched an inquiry into the reasons for the party's defeat in Haryana, but insists that the situation in Rajasthan is different. The people are disillusioned and this time they will not give in. They will vote for Congress, ensuring that state government makes decisions that put the public interest first.
