Much like the past elections, Phalodi will again go to polls with its decades-old demand for a district status The salt town, as it is known, Phalodi’s struggle for a district status began in the 1970s. It nearly got the status in 2008 after the then district magistrate had sent his recommendation. However, the change of government in December 2008, which saw Congress coming to power, was a major disappointment for the locals. The BJP government, which returned to power 2013, did not pursue the matter.According to the convener of the Jila Banao Sangharsh Samiti, Prakash Chhangani, Phalodi remained neglected by political parties as far as this demand is concerned.“CM Vasundhara Raje during her 2013 Suraj Sankalp Yatra had promised to declare Phalodi a district after coming to power. However, the promise was forgotten after winning the polls,” said Chhangani. The Samiti has been in place since 2000.Local MLA Pabba Ram Bishnoi belongs to the ruling party. Bishnoi is BJP’s candidate for the forthcoming assembly elections also. He claimed to have raised the issue in the assembly and was assured that whenever the announcement of new districts will be made, Phalodi will be the first among them.“All the seven new districts post 1956 have been announced by the BJP government and I am confident that whenever the announcement of more new districts will happen Phalodi will be the first,” Bishnoi said.However, residents of Phalodi, which has a population of nearly 5.65 lakh as per the 2011 census, feel cheated. Total area of the tehsil is 7,697 sq km and it includes 476 villages.“The present district headquarters of Jodhpur is 150 km from here and 250 km from the last village of the sub-division,” complains a resident, Sunil Thanvi.The condition of adding two more constituencies to Phalodi for the eligibility of a district status was proving to be a hurdle. Except for Loahwat, no other constituency adjacent to it had agreed to be part of Phalodi.“But considering the large area of Phalodi, the government decided to drop this condition and go ahead,” said Bishnoi, adding it is only a matter of time before the announcement is made.

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