309 urban local bodies are going to the polls together for the first time in Rajasthan. The elections to all the local bodies are scheduled to be held in two phases, September 9 and September 11.
Not only is this in keeping with the BJP’s broader election strategy of “one nation, one election”, but it has also become an unusually high-stakes electoral battle, especially for the BJP in the state.
It’s two and a half years since the Bhajan Lal government took charge, with a cabinet of largely first-time ministers. The chief minister himself is a first-time MLA, and it will be a political bellwether test for this new, first-time government to check its popularity and see how it has fared with the urban electorate two and a half years into governance, especially since the urban electorate is traditionally considered BJP voters. The visit of B.L. Santosh, the party’s general secretary, bang in the middle of the elections has galvanised the BJP’s machinery. The Chief Minister has hit the campaign trail with some high-voltage roadshows, while Lok Sabha MPs and senior ministers like Arjun Ram Meghwal, Bhupendra Yadav, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Bhagirath Choudhary have been clearly visible on the campaign raths alongside the Chief Minister, indicating that several political reputations are at stake in this local body poll. The results of these polls will crucially indicate to the BJP their popularity not only with the urban voters, but also whether, after the Jantar Mantar protests, there has been a larger electoral shift in the voting population. Clearly, the backdrop of the Jantar Mantar protests has made outreach to the Gen Z voter crucial for not only the BJP but also the Congress. Recognising the size of this young voter base, both the BJP and Congress have given greater space to younger faces in their ticket distribution. But in contrast with the BJP, the Congress’s senior leaders like Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot have largely kept away from the election campaign, leaving it to local district-level leaders and party MLAs to manage the show.
In this election, at stake are 309 urban local bodies, with 10,245 wards and 1.4 crore voters, and the results of this election will offer a clear read of the political mood in Rajasthan, making it a litmus test not only for the BJP but also for the Congress. Senior central leaders have been camping in the state for nearly a month, overseeing the progress of candidates, reaching out to rebels and keeping the doors of negotiation open with independents who may come too close for comfort, and who, in the future, could prove crucial in helping the party form boards and corporations across all 309 urban local bodies, big and small. The BJP’s ability to anticipate and reach out to independents and form the boards in the 309 urban local bodies will also be a test of how well the party organisation and cadre are working on the ground. Roughly one in every two candidates fielded by the two major parties is aged 40 or below, according to available ticket data.
