Congress accuses BJP govt of stalling local body elections in Rajasthan, vows statewide protest

Jaipur, Jul 5 (PTI) The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) on Saturday accused the BJP-led state government of deliberately delaying local body and panchayat elections by misusing constitutional provisions and vowed to launch a statewide agitation demanding timely polls.

The allegation came after a high-level strategy meeting at the RPCC headquarters here, chaired by Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, co-incharges Ritvik Makwana and Chiranjeevi Rao, Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, and other state leaders.

Addressing party officials, Dotasra said the BJP is using tactics similar to those allegedly deployed in Maharashtra, Haryana and Bihar to manipulate voter lists and delay democratic processes.

"The state government's intention is to postpone these elections further. This is why the government has constituted the OBC Commission after the completion of 18 months of its tenure. The Supreme Court has instructed not to hold elections to local bodies and panchayati raj institutions without the OBC Commission's report," Dotasra alleged.

"The BJP wants to delay polls to avoid public scrutiny on local development failures. Congress will not allow this subversion of democracy," he said.

He called upon the district presidents and Congress coordinators to intensify booth-level activism and appoint the booth-level agents within a week to monitor the voter list revision.

The party plans to launch protests across the state over the alleged violation of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, which mandate local body elections every five years.

Dotasra claimed that the BJP government fears a backlash if elections are held on schedule.

AICC in-charge Randhawa lauded the Rajasthan Congress's grassroots organisational strength.

"The national party leadership acknowledges how Rajasthan's Congress unit has built a robust structure. Those who fail to fulfil responsibilities will be held accountable," he said.

Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully praised assembly-level coordinators for strengthening the party at the grassroots and urged them to highlight district-specific issues before the PCC for appropriate legislative or organisational action.

The party also held a coordination committee meeting on Saturday evening to discuss preparations for the upcoming municipal and panchayati raj elections, as well as the construction of a new party headquarters building in Jaipur. PTI AG RUK RUK