The old haveli at Dabiyon ka Guda, a small village about 15 km from Nathdwara in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, is bustling with activity. Women in colourful, traditional Rajasthani attires mill around in the courtyard while turbaned men wait outside in anticipation of “Mewarnath” Vishwaraj Singh, is a descendant of legendary warrior king Maharana Pratap and the BJP’s candidate for the upcoming Assembly elections. With Singh in the fray, Nathdwara’s election has turned into a “clash of titans” as he is up against Assembly Speaker and veteran Congress leader C P Joshi. Despite the “crown prince” arriving an hour late for his rally, people welcome him with drumbeats and shower petals on him even as youth among the crowd break into slogans of “Maharana Pratap ki jai”. Women greet him with aarti before he enters the haveli and pays obeisance to the deity in the temple inside. Singh then takes a seat on the platform outside as people, whose names are announced along with their clan, come forward to garland him and touch his feet as a mark of respect. On the personal front, a soft-spoken Singh exhibits humility but the underscoring of Mewari traditions in his campaign is unmistakable. In his address, apart from attacking the Congress on its “misgovernance”, the BJP candidate emphasises to the people that his relationship with them is 1,400 years old and stresses on how people across community lines fought together under Maharana Pratap. Local leaders at the Congress’s campaign office in Nathdwara say Joshi is going village to village to highlight the developmental work that he has undertaken in the constituency. “The BJP has nothing to show for ground work. They are playing the sentiment card and hence their campaign revolves around the Mewar king and Shri Ram,” a Congress leader says. Going into the election, the Congress will also have Joshi’s electoral past in mind. The Assembly Speaker, who has won from Nathdwara five times since 1985, led the party to victory as state president in 2008 but lost his seat by a single vote to the BJP’s Kalyan Singh Chauhan. It is widely believed that Joshi’s aspirations of becoming CM vanished with the defeat. Caste conundrum A key factor that is likely to influence the electoral outcome in Nathdwara is the caste composition of the electorate. Rajputs alone make up 30% of the voters while Brahmins are 15%. The BJP, by fielding the Mewar royal, is hoping that the Rajput pride translates into votes in its favour. The preference of candidates based on caste seems to be evident on the ground too. While conceding that Joshi, a Brahmin, has done a lot of work in the constituency, Mahipal Singh, a Rajput, throws his weight behind Vishwaraj Singh. “Nathdwara is more developed than the district headquarters, Rajsamand. Joshi, a tall leader, made the government focus on the constituency. But now Raja (Vishwaraj Singh) is here and the sentiment of the people is attached to him. Joshiji would have won hands down if Vishwaraj Singh was not in the picture. Who knows Raja may settle down here if he wins?” Mahipal Singh says. Many other voters of the Rajput community echo the shopkeeper’s views. A section of Brahmin voters too appear eager to throw their weight behind Vishwaraj Singh. Home guard Manoj Paliwal says people will go with the royal as they hold him in high regard, despite Joshi's contributions. The pro-royal sentiment, however, wanes among OBCs and tribals, who also make up a significant chunk – around 40% – of the electorate. In Siswi ki Dandi village, where Vishwaraj Singh addresses a gathering of Rehbaris and Salvis – both OBCs – the crowd accords him a grand welcome, but begins speaking of Joshi’s good work moments after he leaves. “Do not go by the way we welcomed him. We are a village of camel herders and have a long association with the royal family. We revere them. The family has historically suffered a lot to keep Islamic rulers at bay,” says Tulsi Ram, who belongs to the Rehbari community, adding: "But we cannot forget the work Joshiji has done for us." In Semal village, close to the legendary battlefield of Haldighati, where Maharana Pratap faced off against Mughal emperor Akbar in 1576, Kamal Sain says the lingering question is whether Vishwaraj Singh will be available when the people need him. “No one knows the Maharaja. Will he meet us and get our work done? A few years ago, when we needed a school in the village, we asked Joshi, who got orders passed for the school in a day,” Sain, who belongs to the Nai (OBC) community, says. In tribal-dominated Udan village near Nathdwara town, Bhimrai says he doesn't know the government but is aware of Joshi. Bhimrai, who belongs to the Bhil community, says he will vote for the veteran Congress leader. Joshi, however, is feeling the heat from the BJP. A look at the list of public events to be attended by the BJP and Congress candidates on Monday tells a story. While Vishwaraj Singh was slated to visit 13 places, Joshi was slated to visit 39.
