Meenas' split threatens Cong in Deoli-Uniara

Deoli-Uniara: A meeting of the Meena community organised near Chandli Mata temple in Deoli on Saturday, where Congress candidate from Deoli-Uniara assembly seat, KC Meena, was supposed to be honoured, was abruptly disrupted by supporters of the party's rebel candidate Naresh Meena. Shouting slogans in support of Naresh, the group demanded that he, too, be invited and accorded recognition by the community. The felicitation ceremony was subsequently cancelled as the Congress candidate withdrew his attendance from the meeting.

The incident exemplifies the division within the Meena community, which comprises nearly 23% of the voters in Deoli-Uniara, and a potential setback to Congress in the bypoll scheduled for Nov 13, with both official and rebel candidates of the party belonging to the community. BJP candidate Rajendra Gurjar stands to benefit from this discord within the Meenas, with Gurjars accounting for over 11% of the voters in the constituency.

A few elderly members of Meena community present at the meeting observed that such hooliganism won't fetch Naresh votes, while some locals said the rebel candidate enjoys massive support among villagers in Deoli. Putting up a brave face, KC Meena said, "The entire Meena community has vowed to support me. He (Naresh) will not have any impact on my chances. There are just 10% Meenas here (in Deoli)."

Congress has won this seat in Tonk district thrice, and BJP once, since the 2008 delimitation. Bypoll in Deoli-Uniara was necessitated after sitting MLA Harish Chandra Meena of Congress was elected to Lok Sabha. BJP's current candidate, Rajendra Gurjar, won the seat in 2013.

"The independent candidate (Naresh) has been fielded by BJP to scuttle Congress's chances. They created disturbances at the meeting and this won't go down well with the voters. Meena community is very intelligent; it won't be swayed by a few speeches and political stunts. The core Congress vote will not shift and we will win the bypoll. There are a couple of rebels within BJP, too," MP Harish Chandra Meena told TOI.

Naresh moves around in a convoy of 9-10 vehicles, with a siren attached to one of them, signalling his arrival. As he dashes around in his vehicle, he ensures he doesn't miss a single village in Uniara. Walking barefoot as he campaigned in Chaan village, Naresh asks women voters and elderly persons with folded hands if they know what his symbol is. An old woman tells hium she is aware that his symbol is ‘sugarcane'.

"My fight is against BJP. It's the Congress candidate who is cutting my votes, not the other way round. People don't even know KC Meena; he is a dummy candidate. Congress votes are coming my way, and I am also getting votes from those dissatisfied with BJP," Naresh said on Saturday.

He added, "People here don't accept either candidate (Congress or BJP). Congress candidate was earlier with BJP, and BJP candidate was responsible for defeat of Vijay Bainsla (BJP candidate in 2023) a year ago. The way Congress and BJP have distributed tickets to candidates, people are not accepting them."

BJP's Haryana incharge Satish Poonia, who visited Deoli-Uniara to extend his support to the party candidate, said BJP's victory in Haryana has energised party workers across the country. "It has had a big impact in Rajasthan, which people are not able to estimate yet. We have nothing to lose here but have a lot to gain. BJP will do well in the bypoll. We can win 4 to 6 seats (of the seven going to bypolls)," he said.

During his visit to Kalyanpura, a Gurjar-dominated village, BJP candidate Rajendra Gurjar faced opposition from villagers who complained about lack of water supply and roads. Gurjar immediately called up local authorities to resolve the issue of water supply from Bisalpur. "I wasn't an MLA for five years. During Congress rule, no work was done. They inaugurated projects in a hurry. There is no maintenance of roads and the pipelines are damaged. I did raise these issues with the CM," Gurjar told TOI.

Talking about his priorities, Gurjar said, "If I win, I will try to resolve the problems of people displaced due to Isarda and Bisalpur dam projects. I will meet the CM and raise the issue of their compensation and rehabilitation. I will also bring up the issue in the state assembly. When our deputy chief minister Diya Kumari came to Dooni for the election campaign, she assured people of building all the roads of Deoli-Uniara. Our PHED minister Kanhaiya Lal ji promised to resolve the issue of water scarcity in the assembly constituency by replacing all broken pipelines and water tanks and our energy minister Heeralal Nagar committed to solving the issue of power supply here."

Asked if Vijay Bainsla, a Gurjar leader, being denied the party's ticket would have any impact, he said, "We are all working together to ensure BJP's victory. Every BJP worker has a role to play. I spoke with all the leaders. They are all supporting me."

Mamta, a resident of Kalyanpura village who grows millet, wheat and mustard in her farmland, said she sells her produce at the Tonk agricultural mandi.

"When water overflows during floods, animals enter my farmland and ruin the crops. People come asking for votes but they don't do anything after the election. Water scarcity and road conditions are a major issue in this village."