Conspicuous by their absence were many leaders of Bishnois, Kayamkhanis, Meos and Sirvis. Those at the helm of the agitation for reservation have been claiming their unqualified support and had promised their presence at the rally. But what took place turned out to be a rally of Jats. Enthused by the numbers, magnified by the organisers to be over seven lakhs, the speakers exhorted the crowd to pledge to ensure the defeat of those opposed to reservation. Patron of Jat Mahasabha Gyan Prakash Pilania, NCP general secretary Tariq Anqar, state NCP chief and Jat Mahasabha Reservation Committee spokesperson Jagdeep Dhankhar and campaign committee president Hari Singh specifically told the gathering that they should exercise their vote to defeat the Congress candidate.

ButLok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Kanshi Ram and Jat Mahasabha president Dara Singh confined themselves to an appeal to vote against those opposed to reservation for Jats and other deserving castes. Pilania took care to remove any confusion in the minds of the public by making them repeat after him an oath: ``to cast all votes, to vote against the Congress and to vote for one who can defeat the Congress candidate''. Kanshi Ram was of the view that by joining hands with Jats, the BSP would persuade them to put an end to atrocities against Dalits and forge a political force in the state. He said that certain castes played the role of ``social police'' to enforce the Manuwadi vyavastha (caste system). This role of ``social police''played by Jats in Rajasthan would be eliminated after joining hands with the Dalits, he said.

Speaking about doubts expressed on this score, he said BSP was a party which united people. It was the Manuvadi parties which divide them. His expectations were beliedby the impatience the gathering showed at his speech many got up to leave but stopped on appeals from Jat leaders. They, however, soon started waving to the BSP leader to sit down and make way for Dara Singh.

Refuting the charge that the agitation for reservation would only serve to benefit the BJP, Hari Singh said even BJP's Jat legislators and ministers had not done anything for reservation for Jats during the BJP rule. He asked the people to dump the party of cheats (Congress) and the party of oppression (BJP) to vote for the third alternative (NCP or its allies) in the coming elections. Ajit Singh asked the people to vote against all those opposed to reservation for them. He was of the view that the rally was purely for reservation and not to decide the electoral line or strategy. Speaking to his followers in his room, he expressed reservations about Jats taking an anti-Congress stance ``since they had a say only in that party''. The loss, he felt, could not be made good by the support of Dalits(represented by the BSP) who were joining hands with Jats only as they saw some benefit for themselves.

Pilania also said that while the Jat Mahasabha would not put up any candidates, the joint campaign committees in every district would decide on whom to vote for in the area.