Rajasthan Assembly Election: Bleeding Blue. World Cup stumps campaign plans

India will take on Australia on November 19 in the men’s World Cup cricket final.

Jaipur: Whatever the outcome of the Rajasthan assembly election on December 3, for now, the winner is cricket and by a wide margin.

As India get ready to take on Australia in the final of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on November 19, when you visit Jaipur and neighbouring areas, it is easy to forget that the state is barely a week away from voting for a new assembly.

The talk is around what will be a good score for Rohit and company to beat Pat Cummins and his men and not the possible tally of the ruling Congress and the rival BJP when votes are cast for the 200-member assembly on November 25.

Jaipur’s eight assembly constituencies – Hawa Mahal, Vidhyadhar Nagar, Civil Lines, Kishanpole, Malviya Nagar, Sanganer, Jhotwara and Bagru — have been breathing cricket ever since India stormed into the semifinal after beating Sri Lanka on November 2. The team’s famous win against New Zealand has only added to the mania.

India’s unbeaten run at the men’s cricket showpiece event has kicked elections to the curbside. LED screens, a staple at political rallies, are in short supply as they have been rented out to watch games. Cafe owners have set up projectors for customers even as screen rents have skyrocketed.

Campaigning on the back foot

“Team India has done exceedingly well. We have not lost a single match, making the final more interesting. People have already made up their minds about who to vote for and are more interested in the game,” Niranjan Rathi, a resident of Dhanuka Sunshine Kalyan society in Jaipur told Moneycontrol.

A businessman, Rathi recalled renting a giant LED screen of 8,640 square inches for his son’s wedding in Jaipur in November 2022 for Rs 11,000 a day.

The rent has now doubled, with several Resident Welfare Associations screening matches.

Political events organised by either side had been seeing thin attendance since November 2, Aditya Singh, a BJP worker in Vidyadhar Nagar, said. There were not enough people for the door-to-door campaign as well.

Initially, people were just interested in Team India’s games but then they wanted to know who their opponents would be in the semifinal and the final, Singh said.

Event management companies are finding themselves in a bind as well as the wedding season is also on.

Game on

Mridul Jindal, owner of Jaipur-based Natraj Event Organisers, has been fielding calls from his clients after Australia beat South Africa on November 16 to set up the summit clash with India.

“It has been very difficult for us as far as demand for renting screens goes. Our past clients call us in the hope we will be able to help them but at the same time, we have to make sure enough screens are available for weddings as well,” Jindal said.

Screens have become an integral part of a wedding ceremony with proceedings beamed live for the gathering.

Akshat Bardiya, who is in the real estate business, is disappointed that he couldn’t watch the final in the stadium. To make up for the missed chance, he has decided to rent a giant screen and set it up at one of the most sought-after rooftops in Jaipur.

“I went for three India games against Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mumbai. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the final. So, I decided to host the event for my friends and family,” Bardiya added.

Politicians are not willing to be edged out of the cricket scene. Several candidates have plans to screen the final at their party offices as well as other parts of their constituencies.

Once the World Cup has been handed to the winner, the Congress and the BJP will field top guns in the final push for the big prize to be decided on December 3.