It’s a prestige issue for both Raje and Gehlot

Lok Sabha Election 2009 is being seen as a battle of prestige between Congress chief minister Ashok Gehlot and leader of opposition Vasundhara Raje.  

The significantly altered profile of about half-a-dozen constituencies due to delimitation and the changing caste equations are likely to have a direct bearing on the fate of both the parties.

However, the Congress is set to make gains in the desert state, having won only four seats in 2004.

Defeated in the December 2008 assembly election, the BJP is trying to rake up the issue of reservation to Gurjars and other castes. A bill proposed by the party for the purpose is still pending with the governor.

The Congress is trying to hard-sell a slew of central schemes such as NREGA and loan waiver to farmers. But observers say it is the caste and community of candidates that will decide the election outcome. As the date for filing nominations nears, the Congress may find itself on a sticky wicket because of squabbling over ticket distribution.

The standoff with tribal leader Kirori Lal Meena, who supported the party after parting ways with the BJP on the same issue, has added to the worries of the Congress leadership.

On the other hand, the BJP, despite an early campaign launch, is set to lose a few seats from its 2004 tally. Apart from criticising the performance of the central government, it is trying to raise the issue of “non performance’’ of the Gehlot government in its first 100 days.