Murari Lal Meena Wins By A Huge Margin In Dausa (image: facebook.com/MurarilalMeenaOfficial)

Congress candidate Murari Lal Meena won Dausa Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan by defeating BJP’s Kanhaiya Lal Meena by a significant margin. Murari Lal Meena’s victory underscores the strength of Congress in the constituency, since he secured 646,266 votes, accounting for 60.24 percent of the total votes.

Meanwhile, BJP veteran , Kanhaiya Lal Meena, has managed to secure only 408,926 votes, constituting 38.12 percent of the total votes.

Despite the tremendous public support for the inauguration of Ram Mandir, BJP failed to convert it into votes in the constituency, which comprised mostly Hindu population.

The ‘Modi factor’ did not aid the saffron party in the constituency due to its diverse demographics. The Meenas, a dominant community, are divided over BJP rule, and Gujjars also expressed discontent.

The battle in Dausa was a direct contest between BJP and Congress, and concentration of Meena community were followed by Gujjars.

The constituency was a strong bastion for the Pilots for years. From 1991 to 2009, Dausa witnessed the successful run of the Pilot family, including the victory in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, when a 27-year-old Sachin Pilot became the MP from the constituency. Later, delimitation led to rearrangements of assembly segments, shifting dominance from the Pilots to the Meenas.

Five out of eight assembly segments are now ruled by BJP, with the remaining three by Congress, of which five segments are dominated by Meenas.

(This story is part of a Timeline. internship project.)