Given the State’s history, the BJP’s sweep in the Vidhan Sabha elections points to a similar trend in the Lok Sabha. This is making the battle for the remaining five of the 25 seats in Rajasthan fierce. The prospects of a rout make it particularly tough for PCC President, sitting Congress MP and Cabinet Minister, Sachin Pilot, one of the young faces of the party who has been hand-picked by Rahul Gandhi. Displaying no fear of imminent danger, Pilot tells Shalini Singh why he continues to believe in an outstanding electoral victory for the Congress.

What is your answer to Vasundhara Raje’s Mission-25?

We are fighting to win, not lose. We aim to retain the 20 seats that we won in the last Lok Sabha election. After coming to power in the State, the BJP, rather than working on governance, employment and farmers’ welfare, is using public money to promote the party. This speaks volumes about their priorities.

Is this the toughest election for you personally? Will losing dent your political career?

We have accepted our wipe-out in the Assembly polls with humility. I was given charge just four-and-a-half months ago. I have reconnected with the panchayats to understand their expectations, have worked to keep the party cadres united, and have brought in a lot of young faces.

Far from losing, we will win and by a larger margin than 2009. I am already focussing on my future role in Parliament.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, you won by just 76,135 votes, while the BJP secured a 1.9-lakh lead in the 2013 Assembly polls winning all seats from your constituency, Ajmer. The voter turnout in Ajmer in 2014 was 68.65 per cent against 53.07 per cent in 2009, supporting the strong anti-incumbency current. Can you still swing it?

The verdict on May 16 will answer that. We have worked hard and we will get results. A higher voter turnout is a national phenomenon and reflects higher levels of awareness and rapidly diminishing apathy. This is a positive indication. There is no anti-incumbency wave.

The Congress wipe-out in the Assembly polls has been attributed to the loss of the Jat vote. Will losing Sonaram Choudhary hit the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls?

On the eve of polls, politicians do switch sides. Sonaram Choudhary lost the 2004 Lok Sabha election by roughly 2.7 lakh votes. He lost in the 2013 Assembly polls too, so his leaving is no loss to the Congress. We have Jat leaders in every State. Besides, India is looking beyond the caste factor. The youth want a better lifestyle. People reward and respect delivery towards development in a constituency irrespective of caste and community.

In Dausa, the Congress appears to be losing the Meena vote to Independent candidate Kirodi Lal Meena, who is expected to ally with Narendra Modi…

We will win in Dausa. Kirodi Lal Meena won in the Assembly polls, but people have realised that he is isolated as an Independent candidate, which will bring back the Meena vote to the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.

Has the Mali vote been lost by shifting out Ashok Gehlot to Gujarat?

Not at all. Ashok Gehlot has campaigned across the State in roughly 15 constituencies.

Is it true that you wanted to contest from Sawai Madhopur rather than Ajmer? Why couldn’t you have your way?

I am the PCC President. It was my decision to contest from Ajmer where I worked for five years, even though I was being urged to contest from six other seats, including Bhilwara, Jaipur and Tonk Sawai Madhopur.

Has the minority vote been compromised by giving Azharuddin a losing seat in Tonk Sawai Madhopur which has a history of communal violence? Will shifting your sitting MP Namo Narain Meena to Dausa hurt the Congress?

Azharuddin will win. We will see him in the Lok Sabha soon.

CP Joshi, General Secretary, AICC, and the Congress’ senior-most leader in Rajasthan, left his traditional Bhilwara seat for Jaipur Grameen. Does this move indicate non-performance? What are his chances in his new territory?

We have fielded the best candidates in every constituency.

Ashok Gehlot, CP Joshi and Bhanwar Lal Sharma have opposed you for the PCC post. Is this infighting healthy?

We all work together for the Gandhi leadership.

Why were the candidates decided so late? Is this mismanagement?

Our candidates were decided two weeks before the BJP even though we had sitting MPs who are difficult to replace. We have brought in seven youth and five women to energise the campaign.

Locals say you are inaccessible and have not made any real contribution…

Ajmer is getting an airport and a ₹900 crore railway line from Ajmer to Pushkar and Ajmer to Sawai Madhavpur. It is the only area where 51,000 children studying in 254 government schools have free Internet and Intranet access through five computers per school. A ₹75-crore e-learning institute for 500 children is almost complete. A ₹80-crore Centre for Excellence to impart vocational training has been launched.

Children from five countries are studying in Ajmer’s new Central University, a ₹1,000-crore project. There is a free hospital for the SC/ST community and the first Aadhar card was issued from Ajmer. I have done all this in the last five years.

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