A jubilant BJP chief, JP Nadda, immediately credited the victory to party support among farmers, women and the poor. At a press conference, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar called the result huge and an endorsement of the big m reforms.
“This is a great victory … this is the farmers’ mandate for agricultural reforms,” Javadekar said. He pointed to a series of victories that BJP has scored across various geographies, from Telangana in the south to Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh in the east, after farm laws were passed, in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak and in defiance of the ‘campaign of disinformation launched by the opposition ”.
“Whether it’s northeast, east, south, whichever direction you go, the BJP is everywhere,” he added.
The final BJP count in the Rajasthan panchayat corps was 1,836 against 1,718 in Congress. It surpassed Congress in zila parishad polls with an impressive score of 323-246.
The victory came as a surprise because the BJP is considered faction-ridden in the state with an influential group led by former CM Vasundhara Raje, often at odds with others. The vote was preceded by a dispute with Hanuman ally Prasad Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, which withdrew due to farmers’ demand to repeal all three agricultural laws.
On the contrary, Congress, led by CM Ashok Gehlot who challenged a rebellion of his former deputy Sachin Pilot, was seen as the favorite for the contest. Gehlot had overtaken the BJP to seize control of four of the six municipal bodies for which elections were recently held.
However, it was the unsavory BJP, who also faced the historic pattern of local polls in favor of the ruling party, who prevailed, dealing yet another blow to Congress in a direct contest.
While it is a morale booster for BJP, it is a blow to Gehlot, who last week alleged a new BJP-backed plot to overthrow him. The CM, who was considered one of those with the potential to handle at least a portion of the portfolio of the recently deceased Congressional problem advisor. Ahmed Patel, may have to deal with a new outbreak of dissent, as Pilot’s unhappiness is no secret.
Interestingly, the defeat comes as a result of Gehlot’s aggression against the movements of the BJP governments to criminalize “love jihad” and this can be cause for celebration among the greatest. Sangh parivar outside of Rajasthan too.
“The voters like the BJP because they don’t like the negative policies of the opposition. They want the development of the country and they have faith in the leadership of Narendra Modi, ”said Javadekar.
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