A significant change in Udaipur division's political scenario could be on the horizon. Gulab Chand Kataria, former home minister and a long-standing BJP figure in the Mewar region, quit active politics after becoming the Assam governor in February this year. He had been the strongest Janata Party and BJP face here since his first term as Udaipur MLA in 1977.
In the 10 assembly elections held between 1977 and 2018, Kataria lost just once to Girija Vyas of Congress in 1985 from the Udaipur seat. In the same duration, he was two-term MLA from Chittorgarh's Badi Sadri seat also (1993-2003).
Kataria's leadership played a pivotal role in BJP's dominance in the entire Udaipur division. His absence from the region's political scene might create new challenges for the saffron party in southeast Rajasthan and could impact the election results in Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Dungarpur and Banswara districts also. The opposition, particularly Congress, is seeing Kataria's departure as an opportunity to bolster its electoral prospects in the division. Congress had its last victory from the Udaipur seat in 1998 when Trilok Poorbia defeated BJP's Mangi Lal Joshi.
To carry forward Kataria's legacy, BJP has fielded Tarachand Jain from the Udaipur seat this time. Congress has nominated its national spokesperson Gourav Vallabh from this constituency. Jain, a resident of Udaipur, is a seasoned politician with a 46-year-long experience in the city's politics as he too entered politics in 1977. He is currently a municipal corporation councillor and holds several responsible positions in BJP. Congress candidate Vallabh, a chartered accountant from Pipar City of Jodhpur district, completed his graduation from Pali and has been a professor at various B-schools in the country and abroad. Vallabh was also president of the Dungarpur district cricket association and has worked with the Reserve Bank of India.
Udaipur district has eight assembly seats, of which five are reserved for the scheduled tribe (ST) candidates. In 2018, BJP won six of the eight seats, including four of the five ST seats.
The Udaipur Rural (ST) seat was secured by BJP's Phool Singh Meena after defeating Congress's Vivek Katara in the 2018 polls. Meena had won the 2013 election also. In the 2008 election, Vivek's mother Sajjandevi Katara of Congress had won this seat. The constituency has had a history of fluctuating political preferences, and the upcoming contest between Meena and Katara could see a shift in voter sentiments, given the evolving socio-political scenario.
The Kherwara (ST) seat would see a fourth consecutive fight between Dayaram Parmar of Congress and Nanalal Ahari of BJP. Being a tribal dominated constituency, the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) and the newly constituted Bhartiya Adivasi Party (BAP) too have fielded their candidates for the upcoming elections. BTP's Praveen Kumar Parmar finished third in the 2018 elections, which was won by Parmar by defeating Ahari, who had won in 2013.
Mavli, which elected Dharam Narayan Joshi of BJP in 2018, has seen a mix of political affiliations, and the forthcoming elections might witness a shift based on emerging local issues. BJP has now nominated KG Paliwal to face Congress's Pushkar Lal Dangi, who lost the last election.
Gogunda has a history of being sensitive to indigenous issues and tribal concerns. Future prospects could be influenced by how effectively the elected representative addresses these concerns. The contest this year is between Mangilal Garasia of Congress and Prataplal Gameti of BJP.
On Vallabhnagar seat, Congress has repeated Preeti Shaktawat who won the 2021 bypoll after the death of her husband Gajendra Singh Shaktawat, who had won in 2018. BJP has nominated Udailal Dangi, who was RLP candidate in the bypoll, while the Janta Sena has fielded Dipendra Kanwar, wife of former MLA Randhir Singh. There has always been a triangular contest in this seat.
Salumber (ST), which is now a new district, has a new set of challenges and demands. The fight here is once again between Congress's Raghuveer Meena and BJP's Amrit Meena, who won in 2018. The Jhadol (ST), another tribal dominated seat of Udaipur district, was formed in 2008. BJP's Babulal Kharadi defeated Congress's Hiralal Darangi in the 2018 election. Both the parties have nominated Kharadi and Darangi this time also.
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