The BJP has registered a strong performance in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections. The party has formed boards in nine of the state’s 10 municipal corporations. If all urban local bodies are taken into account, the BJP has formed boards in 204 bodies, while the Congress managed to form boards in only 96.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma visited several areas of Pratapgarh and Udaipur. From the local-level organisation to the top leadership, the BJP participated in the urban civic polls with detailed planning. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has also held roadshows, which had an impact. The party had focussed even on the grassroots level. This helped the BJP create its own space in the tribal belt, between the Congress’s traditional voter base and the Bhil identity politics of the Bharat Adivasi Party or BAP. The biggest setback in these elections came for the BAP. The party failed to form a board in even a single urban local body across the three districts. The Bharat Adivasi Party had surprised everyone by making significant gains in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The BAP entered the urban local body elections with enthusiasm this time, but failed to secure a board in any of these tribal-dominated areas. At the same time, members of the tribal community, traditionally seen as Congress voters, appear to be moving away from the party. During the visit, he interacted with local people as well as leaders.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BAP’s Rajkumar Roat won by a margin of 2,47,054 votes.
Before the urban local body elections, the Chief Minister had visited several areas of the tribal belt. Even before the announcement of the Panchayati Raj elections, the BJP has started preparations for the polls.
