Can Sachin Pilot Repeat The Massive Victory In Tonk? (Image: X @SachinPilot)
Tonk Assembly constituency is one of the popular seats in the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections. Sitting MLA and former Rajasthan deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is aiming to defeat the BJP”s Ajit Singh Mehta and is looking for an incredible victory in the constituency, which is located almost 100 kilometres away from Rajasthan’s Jaipur.
In the 2018 assembly election, Tonk constituency registered a 77.40 percent voter turnout. In that election, Sachin Pilot defeated the BJP’s Yoonus Khan with a margin of 54,179 votes. Sachin Pilot secured 31.90 percent more votes than the opposition candidate. Sachin Pilot earned 109,040 votes, while Yoonus Khan was able to achieve only 54,861 votes. In 2013, BJP candidate Ajit Singh won the constituency with a substantial margin of 30,343 votes. The Congress won the battle against the BJP in the 2008 assembly election with a lead of 10,536 votes. This data indicates that the voters in the Tonk constituency have not given chances to either the Congress or BJP to rule the constituency consecutively.
Sachin Pilot was the potential chief ministerial face while contesting from the Tonk in 2018. However, Congress selected senior leader Ashok Gehlot as the chief minister. Voters in Tonk were not happy with this decision, as everyone believed Sachin Pilot would be made chief minister. Sachin Pilot is a notable Congress leader among the youth and the Gujjar community in the state. The Gujjar community is a deciding factor in the Tonk constituency as well. This time, the BJP has appointed three leaders, including Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria and Ramesh Bidhuri, to counter Pilot”s Gujjar support.
The Muslim community also plays a significant role in Tonk. They voted heavily for the Congress leader in the 2018 election. However, the community is not satisfied with Sachin Pilot”s performance this time, as the leader has not taken a proper stand over the issue to the killings of two Muslim men on suspicion of cow-smuggling earlier this year in Rajasthan.
Sachin Pilot earned the attention and popularity of voters through various development activities in the constituency. The Congress leader made efforts to enhance the medical facilities in Tonk, apart from improving the facilities in the government schools in the region. During COVID, Sachin Pilot ensured that basic facilities were available in his constituency. However, certain voters allege that Sachin Pilot remained busy with internal politics and had not given attention to the concerns of voters in Tonk.
In its election campaigns, the BJP highlighted Sachin Pilot”s absence from the constituency during his tenure. BJP candidate Ajit Singh Mehta has a strong local network, and he is playing an “outsider versus insider” card against Sachin Pilot. Ajit Singh Mehta says that he knows even the micro-problems faced by people in Tonk and describes Sachin Pilot as an “outsider.” Tonk constituency is a crucial battleground for both the Congress and the BJP. While Sachin Pilot is aiming to repeat the victory, Ajit Singh is trying to take advantage of the resentment of voters.
