Rajasthan civic polls: Independent wave sweeps CM Bhajanlal Sharma's home turf

Independents have emerged as the dominant force in urban local body elections across Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s home turf of Bharatpur and neighbouring Deeg, winning nearly two-thirds of the wards in the two districts and outpacing both the BJP and Congress by a wide margin.

The Independents won 262 of the 415 wards across 13 urban local bodies in Bharatpur and Deeg, accounting for 63.1 per cent of the total. The BJP won 131 wards, or 31.6 per cent, while the Congress managed just 19, or 4.6 per cent. The BSP won two wards and the RLP one.

The results assume political significance as Bharatpur is Sharma’s hometown and a BJP stronghold. The party holds five of the seven Assembly constituencies covering the two districts, while Nagar MLA Jawahar Singh Bedham is the minister of state for home in Sharma’s Cabinet. Sharma, however, represents Jaipur’s Sanganer constituency in the Assembly.

The Independent surge was not restricted to Bharatpur city. They emerged as the largest category in all 13 urban local bodies across the two districts.

In Bharatpur district, Independents won 152 of the 235 wards across seven urban local bodies. They secured 22 of 35 wards in Bayana, 22 of 25 in Bhusawar, 25 of 35 in Nadbai, 14 of 25 in Roopwas, 13 of 25 in Uchhain and 20 of 25 in Veir.

The trend was equally pronounced in Deeg, where Independents won 110 of the 180 urban wards. They secured 24 of 40 wards in Deeg Municipal Council, 23 of 35 in Brijnagar, 21 of 35 in Kaman, 13 of 25 in Kumher, 13 of 20 in Pahari and 16 of 25 in Sikri.

The most notable result came from the 65-member Bharatpur Municipal Corporation, where Independents won 36 wards, more than the BJP and Congress combined. The BJP secured 20 wards and Congress seven, while the BSP and RLP won one each.

The Independent performance also stood out against neighbouring eastern districts. They won 42.4 per cent of urban wards in Karauli, 42.2 per cent in Khairthal-Tijara, 36.6 per cent in Alwar and 36 per cent in Kotputli-Behror. Their share was lower in Dholpur at 26.1 per cent and Dausa at 22.5 per cent.

The contrast is sharper against the statewide results. Independents won 2,273 of Rajasthan’s 10,235 urban wards, accounting for 22.2 per cent. Their 63.1 per cent share in Bharatpur and Deeg is nearly three times the statewide figure.

The results also contrast with the political representation in the Assembly. The BJP holds five of the seven seats in the two districts, while Bayana is represented by an Independent and Bharatpur by the RLD. The Congress has no MLA from the region.

The outcome has now triggered a contest between the BJP and Congress to win the support of Independent councillors ahead of elections for mayors and chairpersons. Both parties have claimed that many of the Independent winners are their rebels or supporters and expressed confidence of forming civic boards with their backing.

Bharatpur BJP district president Shivani Dayma attributed the large number of Independents partly to the nature of local elections and rebellion following ticket distribution.

“These are local elections and people often vote for candidates they know personally. A party can give a ticket to only one candidate although there are several aspirants. Some contest as rebels and win. Most of the Independents who have won are from our side,” Dayma told PTI.

Asked whether the scale of Independent victories indicated indiscipline within the BJP, she said voters often made different choices in local elections and claimed people in the chief minister’s hometown were happy with the government’s development work.

Deeg-Kumher BJP district president Satish Bansal made a similar claim, saying the Independent winners in his district were BJP supporters and would back the party in forming civic boards.

“Sometimes circumstances are such that the party can give ticket to only one candidate, and the others become unhappy. The official candidate may have lost, but all the Independents are with us. The BJP will form the board in every urban local body in our district,” Bansal said.

Congress, however, claimed the Independent councillors would support its candidates. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra accused the BJP of relying on “horse-trading” and said the results reflected a major setback for the party in the chief minister’s home turf.

“The BJP only believes in horse-trading. Look at the situation in the chief minister’s hometown – fewer BJP candidates have won while Independents are in a majority. This is the BJP’s biggest failure,” Dotasra said.

Mayors and chairpersons of the urban local bodies will be elected on September 21, followed by elections for deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and municipal vice-presidents on September 22.