JOIN USBJP fares well in Rajasthan civic polls
The ruling BJP managed to get a clear mandate in the high-stakes civic elections in Rajasthan despite the opposition Congress’s efforts to rattle Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje more over the Lalitgate controversy that rocked Parliament recently.
The saffron party won 1,443 out of 3,351 wards while the Congress emerged victorious in 1,164 wards. The Independents won in 703 wards.
While the election for the civic board chairman is scheduled for Friday, the ruling BJP, which got a clear mandate in 67 local bodies, will constitute its board.
The Congress could maintain a majority in only 33 bodies where they will constitute the boards. The two parties had a close finish in the remaining 29 bodies where the Independents would play a decisive role in forming the board.
The Congress was, however, jubilant over their victory in four bodies in Jhalawar and Baran which fall under the constituencies of CM Raje and her son Dushyant Singh, an MP.
The BJP lost the Jhalawar Municipal Council and Jhalrapatan Municipality, which also comes under the CM’s constituency, after 15 years. The party also lost the Baran Municipal Council and Anta Municipality in Baran district, which fall under Singh’s Lok Sabha constituency, to the Congress which got a clear majority.
However, the BJP’s most humiliating defeat came in Bhindar Municipality of Udaipur district. There, out of 20 wards, the saffron party lost 17 wards to Independents and their deposits were also forfeited.
But overall, the BJP’s success brought relief to CM Raje, who has been at the receiving end over her links with former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi. The civic poll results also silenced Raje’s critics in her party who have been seeking a change in leadership in Rajasthan.
Observers felt the Congress failed to polarise the votes even after attacking the BJP on charges of corruption.
The Congress, however, took the results positively, saying it succeeded to bridge the vote difference in the polls.
“In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the vote difference between Congress and BJP was 26%. We have brought it down to 1% in the municipal elections,” said Sachin Pilot, state PCC chief.