CM Gehlot's voters in Sardarpura have remained loyal for 25 years

Considered a VVIP constituency in Rajasthan, Sardarpura is the home ground of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who is determined to complete his second hat-trick or sixth straight win in Assembly election to be held on 25 November.

- RAHUL CHHABRA

Gehlot's Mali community calls the shots in the constituency from where he won with a margin of 45,597 votes in 2018. While the Chief Minister got 97,081 votes his BJP rival Shambhu Singh Khetasar could manage only 51,484 votes.

Voters from communities including Jat, Rajput, Mahajan, OBCs and minorities also influence the outcome of an election in the constituency. Since the constituency has been nurtured by Gehlot for over two decades, there is a belief that the voters here get the utmost attention of the state administration which serves them as their top priority. Since Gehlot remains in Jaipur for most of his time, his trusted party workers manage the show in his constituency. Development works are taken up on a priority in the constituency, especially road, health and education. Welfare schemes like pension, free electricity, free medicines and free smartphones are implemented with serious intent in the constituency to keep the CM's voters happy.

The 2,48,214 voters in the constituency include 1,26, 893 men and 1,21, 821 women. Gehlot represented the seat for the first time in 1999 after winning a byelection. At that time, the seat was vacated by his Congress colleague Mansingh Devra to allow Gehlot, who had by then been swornin as the CM, to get elected to the Assembly.