What began with an arbitrary delimitation of wards and extravagant roadshows by the chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma in the 10 cities with municipal corporations, and transited to voter suppression and intimidation during polling, has ended with even more brazen attempts to steal the civic body elections in Rajasthan.
The election results showed that the Congress was behind BJP’s vote share by less than one per cent; however, the number of municipalities and wards won by the BJP turned out to be more because of Delimitation designed to the advantage of the BJP.
In several municipalities where the BJP tally was less than Congress and independent candidates, the latter were threatened by the police, abducted, lured and intimidated to support the BJP in the voting for mayors, chairmen and the boards.
In the municipality of Khatushyamji, the election of the chairman was deferred five times and at 1 am the election, it was announced that the election was postponed, tweeted Govind Singh Dotasra, Rajasthan Congress president.
At Sultanpur in Kota police resorted to a baton charge when Congress workers objected to police allowing BJP workers and family members of BJP councillors to enter the polling station. Haryana police, it was alleged, detained a councillor from Tijara overnight but failed to persuade him to defect and vote for the BJP.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Monday, 21 September reviewed the election results with RPCC office bearers.
Later talking to the media he warned that policemen taking law in their hands would be identified and prosecuted when the government changes in the state.
Congress leaders claimed that Rajasthan, Haryana and even Uttar Pradesh police were utilised to win over independent councillors to the side of the BJP. In chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s hometown of Bharatpur, BJP had won just 20 of the 65 wards while independents defied the BJP and the CM to win 36 seats. However, BJP managed to get its candidate Anuradha Singh elected unopposed as the chairperson.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that in some of the bigger municipalities, independent councillors were won over with sums ranging from Rs 1.50 crores to Rs 2.50 crores.
Some independent councillors who could not be lured with money were threatened with notices for alleged illegal construction, illegal extension etc of their houses and shops, he alleged.
