MP report card: Karauli-Dholpur Lok Sabha constituency
BJP bets on MP Rajoria again, eyes 2014 rerun.Rajoria, who is contesting LS polls for the second time, has a rough road ahead as many people allege that he was not in touch with the area in the last five years.
The Karauli-Dholpur Lok Sabha constituency, reserved for scheduled tribes, came into existence after delimitation in 2008.
The last parliamentary elections held in 2014 witnessed a close fight between the BJP and the Congress in the Karauli-Dholpur seat. BJP’s Manoj Rajoria, an MD in homoeopathy, won, defeating Congress’s Lakkhi Ram Bairwa by more than 27,000 votes.
The Congress managed to win six of the eight assembly seats under the Lok Sabha constituency in the 2018 polls. The BJP won one and BSP one. Despite defeats in the assembly seats, the BJP has fielded Rajoria again as its candidate from the Karauli-Dholpur Lok Sabha seat. The Congress has pitted Sanjay Kumar Jatav against him.
Rajoria, who is contesting LS polls for the second time, has a rough road ahead as many people allege that he was not in touch with the area in the last five years.
Gajendra Bharadwaj, a resident of Karauli, said, “Rajoria failed to develop the constituency and was not available for people man to hear their problems.”
Rajoria said, “People have faith in me; I have spent my MPLAD funds in five years for development. People have seen all the work done for development of roads, water supply and education.”
Congress candidate Jatav said, “I am young and belong to a lower class family but always determined to develop my constituency and cooperate with people. I have to defeat Rajoria to bring development. The Congress understood my hard work of 8 years. I will not discriminate between Dholpur and Karauli as the BJP MP did for 5 years.”
Before delimitation, the Karauli-Dholpur Lok Sabha was under the Hindaun constituency. Former chief minister Tika Ram Paliwal won the first general election from Hindaun in 1952 as an independent. Former CM Jagannath Pahadia won in 1967, 1971 and 1980. From 1989 to 2004, the LS seat was with the BJP. After delimitation, Congress’s Khiladi Lal Bairwa won the seat in 2009.
FACE TO FACE
‘Water supplied through tankers to panchayats’
In an interview to HT, Manoj Rajoria shared the work done by him in the last five years. Excerpts:
What were the high points of your five-year term?
Two major works done during my tenure include a medical college set up in Dholpur and the execution of the Dholpur-Raja Khera Chambal drinking water project. A sum of ₹100 crore was spent to renovate the Dholpur district hospital. Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, 2.28 lakh households were provided free cooking gas connections. The Dholpur-Karauli-Gangapur stretch of 11B national highway was developed. Water was provided through tankers to 196 gram panchayats.
One thing you wished to do as an MP but could not, why?
My constituency needs new industries to provide employment to the youth and roads in rural areas.
Why should people re-elect you?
The party gave me ticket for the second time. This is solely on the basis on my good work and because people believed in me. I am sure people will support me for the second time because I have always tried my best for development; people will take my works in the last five years into consideration.
How was your experience in parliament?
My experience has been very good in parliament where all ministers and the Prime Minister always supported me to sanction development works in my constituency. Moreover, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje fully supported me for development works.
People say you performance was poor and that you were out of reach for last five years?
People believed in me when I spent my MP quota budget for development works in the last five years. People know about the works on roads, water supply and education.
‘People lack basic facilities’
Congress candidate Sanjay Kumar Jatav said, “The BJP MP ignored Dholpur district for five years; people even lack basic facilities. There is no development visible in the constituency, particularly on water, roads and education.” He said Rajoria had adopted the Ganhedi gram panchayat under Rajakhera tehsil in Dholpur but no development has been done there. The panchayat has been facing water crisis and has poor roads.