Jaipur, Sep 16 (IANS) Independent candidates and smaller political formations have emerged as a significant force in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections, collectively securing more than 30 per cent of the vote share beyond the BJP and Congress and winning over 2,200 wards across the state.
The result has highlighted the role of independents and smaller political formations in determining the composition of several local bodies. Their influence is particularly significant in local bodies where neither of the two major parties has a clear majority.
In several such bodies, independent councillors are expected to play a crucial role in the formation of boards and the election of chairpersons. The results have also renewed discussion about the space available to political formations outside the BJP-Congress contest.
However, whether this translates into a sustained “Third Front” at the state level will depend on how these independent candidates and smaller parties perform in subsequent elections. The upcoming Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections will provide another test of this trend.
The Panchayat elections involve a substantially larger electorate than the recent urban local body polls, with more than 4 crore voters expected to participate. Rajasthan has 8,221 wards across 457 Panchayat Samitis and 1,403 wards in Zila Parishads.
Bharatpur witnessed one of the strongest performances by independent candidates. They won 36 of the 65 wards in the Municipal Corporation here, compared with 20 for the BJP and seven for the Congress.
A similar pattern was visible in Sri Ganganagar district. In Sadulshahar municipality, independent candidates won 22 of the 25 wards, while the BJP won two and the Congress one.
Reports have said that several of these independents were backed by BJP rebels. These results demonstrate how local factors, candidate selection and rebel candidates can significantly influence the outcome of urban local body elections, even where the broader contest remains centred on the BJP and Congress.
Rajasthan’s political history also contains examples of a significant third force challenging the two major parties. In the 1990 Assembly elections, the BJP won 85 seats, the Janata Dal won 55, and the Congress won 50. The BJP and Janata Dal subsequently formed the government, with BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat becoming Chief Minister.
The 1952 Assembly election also saw a substantial presence of independents. Independents won 35 seats, while the Ram Rajya Parishad won 24. The Congress had 82 seats in the 160-member Assembly.
These historical examples show that political space outside the two largest parties has existed in Rajasthan at different points, although such formations have not always translated into a durable third political bloc.
The recent alliance between the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has added another dimension to the state’s political landscape. The two parties joined hands for the Rajasthan local body elections following a joint appearance by RLP leader Hanuman Beniwal and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Jaipur. The alliance has been presented by its leaders as an attempt to create an alternative political platform, including by bringing Jat and Muslim voters together.
Meanwhile, Congress and BJP are both patting their backs for the strong performance in local polls. While Govind Singh Dotasra, Congress PCC president, Rajasthan, said, “The people of Rajasthan have delivered their verdict on the BJP’s misgovernance and corruption in the local body elections. In 309 local bodies, the BJP received a total of 37 lakh 35 thousand 568 votes, which is about 35 per cent. The Congress received 36 lakh 35 thousand 952 votes, meaning 34.24 per cent. The margin between the two is just 0.94 per cent.
Previously, this gap used to be around 8 to 8.5 per cent.
Rajasthan BJP President Madan Rathore also gave credit to his party for introducing one nation, one election and said, “One nation, one law ought to be implemented; ensuring equal rights for everyone is the need of the hour. The public is also demanding this — reasoning that since ordinary citizens enjoy the same rights in all other matters, there should be no objection to enacting a unified law.”
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the public for the blessings they have showered upon us. Yes, in some locations, we faced resentment from our own party members, which inevitably resulted in losses for us. We will review, analyze, and rectify this situation, he said.
–IANS
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