3 Ms that may help secure Cong return

"You have never visited us after winning. You don't even take our calls," said an angry elderly woman at Achalpur village of Dausa district to Rajasthan women and child development minister Mamta Bhupesh, who was canvassing for votes as she walked through a newly-cemented village road.

- Chetan Chauhan

AMID ANGER AGAINST FEW SITTING LEGISLATORS

Bhupesh is the Congress MLA from the reserved Sikrai assembly seat and has been facing protests. She claims they are "orchestrated" by the BJP, but the woman criticising her is earnest: "Hum hamesha se Congress voter hain, par aapne toh jitne ka baad puchna bhi nahin (We have been Congress voters, you did not care for us after winning)." Bhupesh retreated from the woman's small brick house which ironically sports a Congress flag. The woman later explained that her anger is only against the lawmaker and not Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, whom she credited with introducing welfare schemes for the poor.

Bhupesh is not the only Congress MLA, who is facing the ire of voters. Subhash Garg, Rajasthan's technical education minister, contesting on a ticket from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a Congress ally, had to encounter angry villagers in Sunhari village of Bharatpur district last week, for "lack of development" there. "This is part of elections. We have to bear it," Garg said, as he sat in his car heading to the next village in the whirlwind tour of the constituency. More than 200km away, in western Rajasthan's Antroli village in Laxmangarh assembly seat in Sikar district, state Congress president and former school education minister Govind Singh Dotasara stood with folded hands in front of village elders who were chastising him for not visiting them after winning. "I apologise for not being able to come."

Meena, Mali and Muslims (3Ms)