Sitting MLA Rau Jeetu Jirati is once again facing his old pal Jitu Patwari from Congress.
While Jirati distanced himself from the public to a certain extent after winning the election, Patwari had only strengthened his bond with the locals after losing at the hands of Jirati in 2008 elections.
Anti-incumbency is the most prominent factor working against Jirati. Among his adversaries, his community-men from Khati sect also were enraged with the fact that Jirati had alienated himself after winning elections.
However much to the respite of the former BJYM state head, his community decided to bury the hatches at the eleventh hour and even lobbied hard for ensuring his ticket for consecutive second time. However, Jitu Patwari, former Youth Congress state head, is a hard nut to crack.
Patwari, one of the young faces in MP Congress, also enjoys proximity to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi. He has been quite active in social circles in his constituency for all five years, an area where he scored much better than his old friend turned political opponent--Jeetu Jirati.
Significantly, Rau is a constituency dominated by affluent Khati community which is engaged in farming and milk production. For this community, rather than trivial poll issues like bijli, sadak and paani, respect paid to elders in the society holds significance more than anything else.
One more factor is also working in favour of Patwari that internal fighting in Congress is relatively low in Rau. Aware about the fact that constituency is not a laggard in basic amenities; Patwari has been making promises of modern infrastructure and education facilities.
