In Rajasthan, tribal party steps up bid to expand footprint, puts Congress in a fix

“People of the state are demanding a change and we will give it to them, if needed. Currently, I am trying to expand my party and unite STs, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and OBCs in western Rajasthan. Events are being held to meet the people and bring them into our fold,” Roat told The Indian Express

The BAP is said to be keen on contesting three of the six Assembly seats up for bypolls. Keeping this in mind, Roat is looking to build his image as a tribal leader. These seats include Chorasi and Bagidora, which have more than 70% ST population.

As thousands gathered for Roat’s roadshows in Barmer, Jalore and Baltora, the Congress – which fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the BAP as part of the INDIA bloc – has been left guessing as the former has now spoken about forming a third-front in the state.

“A third front will evolve in the state if the government does not work for the benefit of the people. The Congress and BJP have been ruling Rajasthan for 30 years without any competition,” said the first-time MP from Banswara.

Roat’s rallies seem to be uniting political rivals as well. On September 1, the Congress’s Barmer MP Ummeda Ram Beniwal and BJP MLA from Sheo, Ravindra Singh Bhati, joined the BAP chief as they attended a rally in Barmer organised by the Bhil tribal community.

This has left local Congress leaders in a fix. “Though Roat is ideologically opposed to the BJP, local Congress leaders are anxious. The Lok Sabha alliance (between Congress and BAP) was the need of the hour to keep the BJP at bay. The Congress high command needs to come clean about the future of the alliance,” a Congress source said.

Traditionally, the Congress has had its support bases among tribals across the state.

In the eastern part of the state, with the BJP’s firebrand tribal leader Kirodi Lal Meena’s influence seemingly shrinking, Roat is looking to fill the vacuum. “With Kirodi Lal Meena’s influence on the decline following the BJP’s loss in the recent Lok Sabha elections in eastern Rajasthan (where the party could win just one seat out of five), Roat is looking to fill this space. He also has age on his side and has stayed shy of controversies,” a political analyst said.

The districts of Karauli, Dholpur, Dausa and Bharatpur in eastern Rajasthan have a significant ST population and are dominated by Meenas. No BAP leader, including Roat, have tried to reach out to Meenas as Kirodi Lal Meena is seen to be influential there. The Banswara MP belongs to the Bhil community.

The BJP leaders are also aware of Roat’s attempts to emerge as a mass leader. “It is clear that he is trying to woo non-BJP leaders. He was also present at an event organised by the SC and ST communities in Otwala village in Jalore with Congress’s Assembly candidate Ramila Meghwal and the national president of the Rashtriya Moolnivasi Sangh, Tararam Mehna. He is trying to build an image of a mass leader,” a BJP insider said.

“Roat is trying to cash in on the feeling of discrimination among the non-Meghwal SC communities over lack of their political representation,” a sarpanch in Barmer said on condition of anonymity.

Apart from Meghwals, other SC groups such as Jatavs, Bairwas, Chambhars and Dhankas also have sizeable populations in different parts of the state.

Roat has planned to step up his tribal outreach with rallies in the Bhil-dominated areas of Sirohi, Pali, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in southern and western parts of the state in the coming days.