30% Congress MLAs Might Not Get Tickets: Rajasthan President Dotasra Ahead Of First List Release

The Congress is poised to replace approximately 30 per cent of its incumbent MLAs in the upcoming Rajasthan assembly election, as revealed by the party's state unit president, Govind Singh Dotasra, in a conversation with The Hindu on Sunday (15 October).

Dotasra took a swipe at the BJP for nominating "unsuccessful" MPs in the assembly election as a strategy to divert attention from the anti-incumbency trend against the Union government leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Despite Rajasthan's historical pattern of incumbent governments losing power in every election since 1998, Dotasra expressed confidence that the Congress would break this trend, citing the welfare schemes initiated by the Gehlot government.

He emphasised that Rajasthan voters would favor continuity, recalling how the BJP government in 2013 abandoned welfare programs introduced by the Congress in 2008.

Dotasra dismissed concerns about anti-incumbency, stating that the BJP had played a passive role as an opposition, with voters hardly witnessing their presence on the ground.

While the Congress and BJP dominate the state, Dotasra acknowledged the significance of smaller parties and Independent candidates, referred to as the "others" category, who historically garner over 15 per cent of votes in each election.

Dotasra outlined factors supporting a Congress victory, including minimizing the vote share of the "others" and securing support from Independents, BSP, Left, and Bharatiya Tribal Party legislators.

Addressing sentiments within the party about credit distribution for welfare schemes, Dotasra acknowledged the contribution of party MLAs but expressed openness to introducing fresh faces by potentially replacing 20-30 sitting MLAs.

The Congress's Central Election Committee is set to decide the first list of candidates on 18 October, with approximately 3,000 claimants for the 200 seats.

Dotasra responded to the BJP's efforts to narrow the vote-share gap, noting their strategy of fielding seven MPs and emphasising that this move should be viewed in the context of the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

The Congress is also counting on the sidelining of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to impact the BJP's electoral performance. Regarding the Chief Ministerial face, Dotasra stated that the decision rests with the party's central leadership and the Congress Legislative Party post-election.

With the Jats constituting 16-17 per cent of Rajasthan's population, Dotasra, a Jat leader, is seen by some insiders as a potential contender for the Chief Minister's role if the Congress returns to power and the Gehlot-Pilot feud continues.