Rajasthan polls: Why Sachin Pilot chose not to wave

ALWAR/BHARATPUR/KARAULI: Before stepping into his chopper, Sachin Pilot turns to the crowd and wishes them with folded hands. He does not wave because Ramgarh ( Alwar) Congress candidate Zubair Khan had warned him not to.

"Had he waved BJP would have spread the word that Sachin Pilot sahib had signalled voters not to vote. They’d say he was saying "na na", not bye-bye," Khan later says.

The caution is not without reason. Sachin recalls he had gone campaigning with his father, the late Rajesh Pilot, in the 1980 s. The papers had reported "BJP had later told people Pilot sahib had gestured na-na while leaving. Ever since, we’re careful in Malwa," he says.

At Ramgarh, Sachin runs into another local Congress superstition. "The party winning Ramgarh sits in the opposition. So, many party workers are backing the BJP nominee," a sarpanch informs. He immediately calls local party leaders and trashes all such fears.

On a whistle-stop tour of eastern Rajasthan, Sachin hops from venue to venue and by close of day, he addresses more than five meetings. His following cuts across castes and communities. Youngsters pack his rallies.

Sachin talks of farmers’ welfare but peppers his speeches with youth empowerment. Sachin is to campaign in 114 seats, of which he’s covered 70-odd and is going flat out to beat the deadline ahead of the December 1 polling. "I work as an interface between the youth and the party," he says tucking into a roti-subzi lunch onboard the chopper.

Sachin reaches Malana Dungar in Sawai Madhopur almost an hour late . Still over 3,000 wait. The Congress candidate here is Danis Abrar, son of late former Union minister Abrar Ahmed. Danis introduces Sachin as bade bhai (elder brother). "Danis ko inke janam se nahi, karam se vote dena. (Don’t vote Danis for his family name but for his work )," he tells the crowd.

Danis is in a triangular contest against BJP’s Diya Kumari and NPP president Kirori Lal Meena. Pilot cautions the crowd against "myopic" candidates, who "mushroom during elections". He says 18 candidates are in the fray in Masuda constituency in Ajmer LS area. "I’m the local MP, I haven’t heard of most of them."

His chopper needs refuelling at Bair in Karauli. Paramilitary personnel hem the Union minister– a testimony to the sensitivity of the region surrounded by Chambal ravines.