Jaipur:
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.
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 BJP’s performance has suprised many, especially in the tribal belt.
In the nine urban local bodies across the tribal-dominated districts of Banswara, Dungarpur and Pratapgarh, the BJP has formed boards in seven.
In Banswara, the pary bagged two of the three urban local bodies, while the Congress won one. In Dungarpur, the BJP won both urban local bodies. In Pratapgarh, the BJP formed boards in three of the four urban local bodies, the Congress won one.
Before the urban local body elections, the Chief Minister had visited several areas of the tribal belt. 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. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BAP’s Rajkumar Roat won by a margin of 2,47,054 votes.
The party also won four assembly seats and emerged as Rajasthan’s third-largest party. Its vote share had also increased rapidly after the 2018 assembly 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.
Political experts say the BAP made major gains in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections as people connected with its demand for a separate ‘Bhil Pradesh’ and its focus on tribal identity. The party, however, has not been able to strengthen its organisational structure.
On the other hand, the BJP has consistently taken the issues of development and nationalism to the tribal belt. Its strong organisation and election planning helped it gain an advantage.
Along with this, the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, associated with the RSS, has also been working at the ideological level in the tribal belt of Rajasthan, as it does in other parts of the country. This provides ideological support to the BJP.
The ideological work of the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad and the BJP’s political management together appear to have played a key role in the party’s gains in the tribal belt.
Even before the announcement of the Panchayati Raj elections, the BJP has started preparations for the polls. On Saturday, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma visited several areas of Pratapgarh and Udaipur. During the visit, he interacted with local people as well as leaders.
On Friday, BJP chief Nitin Nabin flagged off chariots for the promotion of the party’s schemes. The party appears prepared for the elections and is moving ahead in a planned manner.
