Analysis | Rajasthan Civic Polls: BJP's Big Win, Cross-Voting, Congress Infighting

With the completion of the mayoral elections in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota, the overall picture across Rajasthan's 10 municipal corporations has become clear. The BJP has secured the mayoral post in nine of the 10 corporations, while the Congress has managed to win the mayor's seat in only one-Bikaner. Across local bodies as a whole, including municipal councils and municipalities, the BJP has formed boards in 204 bodies, compared with 96 for the Congress.

As soon as the results of the councillor elections were declared, both the Congress and the BJP began manoeuvring to form boards. A fierce tussle followed the announcement of the results on September 14, with both parties resorting to sequestering their councillors to prevent poaching. The opposition also levelled allegations of councillor abductions and horse-trading in several areas.

Both parties feared internal sabotage and cross-voting-and those fears proved well-founded during the elections. Cross-voting altered the political arithmetic in several local bodies, with both parties having to bear the consequences.

Read | Nitin Nabin Pulls No Punches, Warns Rajasthan BJP Leaders Against 'Arrogance'

In the Kota Municipal Corporation election held on Friday, the Congress had 39 councillors but received only 35 votes. In protest, the party boycotted the subsequent deputy mayor election.

The mayoral election in the Pali Municipal Corporation delivered another setback to the Congress. Despite winning 29 of the 65 wards, the party failed to secure the mayor's post. Congress candidate Sumitra Jain received only three votes, while rebel candidate Rajbala Hingad secured 29. Amid the internal rebellion, the BJP's Namita Bubakia won the mayoral election with 33 votes.

Meanwhile, the election for the Municipal Council chairperson in Mundwa, in Nagaur district, produced perhaps the most striking example of cross-voting. The Mundwa municipality has 25 wards, of which the BJP won 10, the Congress three, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) seven and independents five.

The BJP had fielded Geeta Devi as its candidate for chairperson. Despite having 10 elected BJP councillors, she did not receive a single vote. 

Overall, the BJP has performed better across the state compared with the previous elections. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma actively campaigned through roadshows during the civic polls, while the party entered the contest with detailed organisational planning.

However, the instances of cross-voting have also offered a significant lesson to both the BJP and the Congress.

BJP leader Nitin Nabin, who visited Rajasthan on Friday, met party leaders and advised them against arrogance.

BJP chief Nitin Nabin visited Jaipur on Friday

Nabin also said that if a candidate receives a ticket on the recommendation of an MP or MLA and subsequently turns against the party, the responsibility will lie with the leader who recommended the candidate.

The Congress, on the other hand, appears to have done little introspection over its defeat and the instances of cross-voting.

Factionalism and public bickering continue to dominate the party, leaving little room for self-reflection.

Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took a veiled dig at State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, suggesting that the results might have been different had the Congress also held roadshows. The party also needs to examine why votes went to independent candidates instead of Congress nominees, he stated.

Political rhetoric had begun to dominate the Congress even before the electoral battle was fully under way. Alongside the continuing Pilot-Gehlot factional differences, the reported tensions between Ashok Gehlot and Govind Singh Dotasra added to the challenges confronting the party during the civic body elections.

The BJP has now geared up for the Panchayati Raj elections, with National President Nitin Nabin issuing instructions to party leaders.

The Congress, meanwhile, remains caught in a cycle of mutual accusations.

The outcome of the Panchayati Raj elections will become clear only with time. For now, however, the lessons both parties draw from the civic body polls could prove crucial as they prepare for the next electoral battle.