Veteran Congress leader Ram Chandra Choudhary, who has been at the helm of the Ajmer District Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union since 1990, enjoys strong support among rural voters as the party’s candidate in Rajasthan’s Ajmer Lok Sabha constituency.
Choudhary, 78, faces a formidable challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s incumbent MP Bhagirath Choudhary, who is buoyed by the party’s victory in seven of the eight Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha seat during the 2023 State elections.
Both candidates, who belong to the Jat community, are vying for the support of Gujjar and Dalit voters, while Jat votes are expected to be split between them. The Congress is banking on Ram Chandra’s popularity among farmers and cattle rearers, with whom he has worked closely for over three decades.
Since 1998, the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat has seen a pendulum-like shift between the Congress and the BJP. The longest tenure was that of BJP’s Rasa Singh Rawat, who was elected five times from the seat since 1989. Bhagirath was preceded by Congress’s Raghu Sharma, who won the by-election in 2018.
Political observers note that the constituency has alternated between the Congress and BJP over the last three decades, with neither party able to claim it as a stronghold. This has forced both candidates to focus on local caste dynamics and appeal to voters with promises to different sections of society.
While Gujjar voters can influence the outcome in Pushkar, Nasirabad, and Kekri Assembly segments, Jats are present in all constituencies except Ajmer North and Ajmer South. The presence of the historic 13th century dargah of Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in the city, which attracts pilgrims from across the country, also highlights the significance of Muslim voters in the Lok Sabha election.
The Congress’s Ajmer District Congress Committee president, Vijay Jain, expressed confidence that Ram Chandra’s long experience in the dairy sector and political support through numerous milk booths will give him an edge. He also highlighted Ram Chandra’s clean image and his promise to establish an Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management in Ajmer.
On the other hand, Bhagirath has been promoting the BJP’s guarantees and promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has refuted accusations of inaccessibility during his tenure, emphasizing the BJP’s focus on public works rather than public appearances. He also asserted that the “double engine government” in the State will bring prosperity to farmers.
Voters in the constituency have raised concerns about issues such as water scarcity, lack of industries, poor road connectivity, and absence of sewage systems in villages. Anant Gupta, a BJP worker, acknowledged that people in areas with irregular water supply would only be convinced to vote for the party if they are assured of its commitment to address these issues.
