Urban poll results will reveal public sentiment towards Sharma government’s three-year tenure.
The results of the urban civic body elections are set to be crucial for Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s government and his team. These elections are taking place at a time when the Bhajanlal government is nearing the completion of three years in office. The election results, to be declared on Monday, will reveal the extent of public satisfaction with the decisions made by the Sharma government over the past three years. Notably, these elections were contested with CM Bhajanlal as the face of the campaign. However, historical trends indicate that since 1994, the ruling party has consistently held the upper hand in these elections, often managing to secure the mayoral post through strategic manoeuvring and coalition-building. Now, on the day of the results, all eyes will be on whether the BJP government repeats history or whether the Congress writes a new chapter. Information emerging after the voting suggests that the Congress has put up a tough fight in Ajmer, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur and Kota. Senior Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore even claims that the results will be surprising. He asserts that the Congress will set a new record for victory in the Ajmer division and that, for the first time, a Congress mayor will be elected there. On the other hand, BJP State President Madan Rathore claims that the BJP is set to win in all the divisions. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully has also asserted that the Congress party will emerge victorious.
BJP’s new team spearheads the election
The urban body elections have become particularly interesting this time because the BJP’s new team has managed the campaign for the first time. This “new team” came into being when Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated a new experiment: appointing the relatively less experienced Bhajanlal Sharma as Chief Minister about 21 months ago, while entrusting the role of state organisational chief to Madan Rathore, a leader who had previously been sidelined from active politics. Along with these two leaders, the election has served as a crucial test for Deputy Chief Ministers Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa, Speaker Vasudev Devnani and several other ministers. Additionally, the election holds significant importance for Ajay Kumar, who was transferred from Uttarakhand to Rajasthan to take on the responsibility of the party’s organisational general secretary. While Congress leaders took charge at the divisional level, the CM led the effort for the BJP. Meanwhile, Congress leaders responsible for the divisions spearheaded the campaign on their own. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed to the public for votes by highlighting the achievements of his tenure, focusing his efforts on the Jodhpur division. On the other hand, BJP leader and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with other party leaders, left no stone unturned to ensure the victory of their candidates. This election is also crucial for Congress State President Govind Singh Dotasra; a victory would credit him with another win, whereas a defeat could prove costly for his tenure as president. The reason for this is the ongoing talk about replacing Dotasra. If the party loses, opponents will seize the opportunity. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma conducted roadshows and canvassed for votes for his candidates across all municipal corporations, including Jaipur and Ajmer. Leaders also exerted significant effort in their respective areas on the day of voting, which took place on Friday.
