Outside the Congress office in Jaipur, 10 cutouts of politicians loom over passersby. They’re all evenly spaced but the cutout of Sachin Pilot tips to the left, crowded by cutouts of Govind Singh Dotasara and CP Joshi.

Across Jaipur, the Congress party’s campaign posters have prominently featured Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alongside senior party leaders, but no Pilot at all. Newslaundry spotted one poster of Gehlot with Pilot, apparently installed after November 14, but that was all. 

Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi told Newslaundry this is part of a two-phase plan, though. 

“In the first phase, we focused on the government’s schemes,” he said. “In the second phase beginning November 14, we are campaigning as a party. And that’s why you now see Pilot’s image on posters.”

But posters aside, Pilot was missing in action during campaigning for the Rajasthan assembly polls until November 15, when campaigning ended in Madhya Pradesh. Since then, he’s addressed several rallies in Rajasthan. 

On November 23, the last day of campaigning in Rajasthan, he attended four rallies in Ajmer, Pushkar, Khanpur and Masuda. Polling will take place on November 25.

“What more can he do?” said his aide Sushil Asopa. “On the last day of campaigning, when all leaders are in their home constituencies, he is campaigning for others.” 

The Congress campaign in Rajasthan so far has revolved around Gehlot and welfare schemes. When The Indian Express asked Gehlot about Rahul Gandhi arriving “late” for the Rajasthan campaign (he went to Telangana first even though it only votes five days after Rajasthan), Gehlot simply said: “He trusted me.”

And in this Gehlot-centric campaign, there’s little space for Pilot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commented on it too. During a rally in Jaipur yesterday, Modi brought up Pilot’s late father Rajesh Pilot, and said the Congress “punished Rajeshji and is also punishing his son”. The senior Pilot had opposed Sonia Gandhi as party president in 1998-2000. He had planned to contest against her in the presidential election, but died before it took place.

Pilot later told PTI that Modi’s statements were devoid of facts: “For decades, we have had a good relationship with the [Gandhi] family as well as the party…Such statements are made to divert attention. There is no mention of BJP’s roadmap and vision for the state.” 

Pilot’s influence is rooted in east and southeast Rajasthan. Of 46 seats in the area, the Congress won 27 in 2018 and 22 in 2008. Pilot is popular amongst Gurjars, and Congress had seven Gurjar MLAs in the previous polls. The BJP had zero.

But how will this play out if Pilot is really being “snubbed”?

A disconnect, but they’ll vote for him anyway 

Voters have their own theories on junior Pilot being sidelined.

“The Congress could have used his youth and energy to garner more votes,” said Rajesh Khatana, a resident of Bambor village in Tonk, Pilot’s home turf. “He attracts huge crowds wherever he goes. Compare it with Gehlot’s rallies.”

Outside the main mosque in Tonk, three men in their 20s told Newslaundry they’re unenthused by Pilot’s work so far. But they feel they’re “left with no option but to vote for Congress”.

“I don’t think any work has been done here,” said Amir Khan, who drives a JCB. “But there is peace. Nobody discriminates against us. Pilot comes here whenever he is required. But he is not frequent.”

In Tonk Pilot is up for reelection against the BJP’s Ajit Singh Mehta, who became MLA in 2013. In the 2018 assembly polls, Pilot had trounced BJP’s Yunus Khan by over 50,000. Yunus Khan, an aide of Vasundhara Raje, is now contesting as an independent from Deedwana. 

Moin Khan, who is preparing for exams for government jobs, agreed that Tonk has “peace”.

“Paper leaks will happen in the Congress as well as the BJP rule,” he said, referring to the fact that the Gehlot government has seen at least 15 paper leaks during its tenure. “Both parties are thieves. But the BJP is worse than the Congress.”

Wasi Khan, a tailor, was equally lukewarm. “A few of our youths were arrested during the lockdown. But there was no help from Pilot,” he said. “We have no option but to vote for him. I can’t even tell what development has happened in the city.”

In contrast to Pilot, several young voters spoke fondly of former Tonk municipal corporation chairperson Laxmi Jain, who had installed streetlights, new parks, and roads. 

When asked if the AIMIM, which is fielding some candidates in Rajasthan but not in Tonk, is a better option than the Congress, Moin said, “We will wholeheartedly support AIMIM. But only Muslim votes cannot get a candidate elected.” Tonk has 2.5 lakh voters of whom Muslims comprise 70,000; the other dominant communities are SCs and Gurjars.

‘He is seven feet tall’

Members of Pilot’s own party have spoken out about his disconnect with the public. After cow vigilantes lynched Nasir and Junaid in Haryana in February, Pilot had called for strict action against the accused. But in August this year, the Rajasthan coordinator of the Congress’s minority cell, Mohsin Rasheed, had publicly called out Tonk for being silent since then.

“We were trying for his help over several issues including corruption in the corporation,” Rasheed told Newslaundry. “But our concerns were not conveyed to him by those in the middle...As a course correction, he reshuffled his political representatives in Tonk.”

Miffed, Rasheed had even filed his nomination this election but withdrew it after calls by other Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, Moin and others said nothing would happen if Pilot merely called for “strict action”. “No protest from the Congress side happened,” Moin said. “Gehlot and Pilot should have protested against the two murders.”

About 10 km from Tonk is Bambor, a village of 1,000 houses and home to a mixed population of Gurjars and Bairwas (SC), and some Muslims. The road to Bambor is broken and potholed.

“The government had recently sanctioned Rs 56 crore for the road,” said OP Sharma, a priest in Bambor. Other villagers said that since Pilot became MLA, more rooms in the school have come up and they even have a library now. Two more schools have been upgraded to secondary (Class 10).

In fact, the whole village is seemingly in awe of Pilot. “He is young, hardworking and seven feet tall,” said one OP Sharma, a priest. “He should have been given the chance to become CM.” 

Ajay Kumar, who lives in the neighbouring assembly constituency of Deoli-Uniara, said those in Tonk root for the Congress due to the government’s welfare schemes.

Kamlesh Khatana of Mandawar village agreed that this time, Congress support in other parts of east Rajasthan may dwindle as Pilot may not become CM. “Last time in 2018, Gurjars and other communities fully backed Pilot as he was seen as a CM face,” he said while on his way back from a meeting of Congress supporters with Pilot at 7 pm on November 23.

On the fact that Pilot only occasionally visits Tonk, Rajesh Khatana of Bambor shot back: “What’s the point of a son-in-law who comes to the in-laws every day and does nothing?”

In Bambor, Newslaundry also met villagers who rally behind the party symbol instead of the candidate. Radheshyam Sen, who runs a barber shop in Tonk, is going to stand by the Congress for its welfare schemes that have benefited his family. The families of Priyanka Sen, a Class 12 student, and Khushbu Gurjar, a Class 9 student, praised the Gehlot government for providing free smartphones to them. 

“I use it for study. Teachers send us study material on WhatsApp and educational apps also help us,” said Khusbhu. 

But Kalu Chaudhary and Jagdish Chaudhary, both 70-year-old residents of Bambor village, aren’t as impressed. They are traditional BJP supporters. “We have always voted for the BJP as long as we remember,” said Jagdish.

When asked about Modi, Jagdish said: “Modi hain to mumkin hain [Modi makes everything possible]. During Covid, he saved us from coronavirus.”  

On work done by Pilot in the village, Jagdish alleged that a government land was encroached upon by Pilot supporters. He complained: “Gurjars have created havoc in the area since Pilot came here.” 

Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry’s work.