Acid test for Congress, BJP in civic polls

Acid test for Congress, BJP in civic polls

Lokpal Sethi | Madhya Pradesh | 23 November 2009 |

Elections to 46 civic bodies, including four city corporations, are being seen as the mini general elections in Rajasthan and will act as an acid test for the two major political rivals – the ruling Congress and the main Opposition, the BJP.

The elections will be spread over 24 districts covering nearly two thirds of the state. Elections to the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, along with elections to three other Municipal Corporations – Jodhpur, Bikaner and Kota – have turned prestigious for both parties.

Routed in the Assembly as well as in the Lok Sabha and marred by internal infighting, the BJP’s rank and file were demoralized and lying low till the two Assembly by-elections – Todabheem and Salumber – held during the first week of November. To the surprise of many, the party was able to win the Todabheem seat but lost Salumber by a narrow margin. This boosted the sagging moral of party workers, who were fed up with the leadership tussle, which finally saw the exit of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje from the post of leader of the party in the Assembly.

After staying away from the state capital for more than two months, Raje returned to Jaipur a few days before the polling in these two constituencies. Raje was dejected as she was forced to resign as leader of the party in the Assembly and was also sidelined in the selection of party candidates for the two Assembly by-elections.

Despite her exit as leader in the Assembly, her detractors in the party felt she was still the most visible face of the party and also its biggest crowd puller. She was persuaded by state party president Arun Chaturvedi to campaign in Todabheem, in Karauli district, where the party was in position to challenge the Congress.

She went there on the last day of the campaign and a huge turnout was a clear indication that the Congress was set to taste defeat there. During the Assembly elections, this seat was won by maverick Meena leader Dr Kirori Lal Meena – a BJP rebel turned Congress friend – as an independent. The Congress and BJP candidates lost their deposits. But in the by-elections, the BJP won the seat by a convincing margin of over 8,000 votes.  In the Assembly elections, the BJP had lost Salumber in Udaipur, by a margin of over 23,000 votes. It lost the by-election by a narrow margin of about 3,000 votes. Senior party leader Gulab Chand Kataria who hails from Udaipur was given an absolute free hand in the selection of the candidate and managing the election. He told party leaders there was no need for anyone coming to campaign as he was capable enough to handle it himself.

Now Kataria and his close confidants have realized their mistake. They now feel that if Raje was invited to campaign, she would have turned the tables here too. After all, the party needed just 1,500 votes to humble its rival. With only one meeting she could have changed the entire scenario, they feel.

Much before her return to Jaipur, the state party leadership had started the process of selecting party candidates for 1,612 wards and also candidates for the post of mayors and chairpersons for these bodies, elections to which, for the first time, were being held directly. Many of her confidants felt she was being ignored by the party. But when the party was selecting its candidate for the post of Mayor for the Jaipur Municipal Corporation, Raje decided to assert herself.

Under the amended Municipal Act, 50 per cent seats are meant to be reserved for women candidates in these bodies. The seats to be reserved for women were decided be a draw of lots. The post of Mayor of Jaipur went to a woman candidate. There was a long list of aspirants for the post in the BJP. Suman Sharma, state head of Mahila Morcha of the party emerged as the front runner. But a section of the party was opposed to it and they started a campaign against Suman, who is considered close to Raje. Raje then spoke to party president Rajnath Singh.

Though Rajnath had made Raje’s resignation a prestige issue, he was aware about Raje’s popularity and mass base in the state. Rajnath Singh spoke to Arun Chaturvedi and within minutes, Suman Sharma was declared the party’s candidates for the post of Mayor.

Selection of candidates in the ruling Congress party was also not a smooth affair. Though Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pradesh Congress Committee president CP Joshi, who is also Union Minister for Rural Development, had said that selection of party candidates would be made in consultation with local MLAs and MPs, it was largely done by the duo on the basis of reports from observers who were sent to each of the city where elections were to be held. Owing to the tussle over the selection of candidates, both parties announced their candidates only on November 10, a day before the last date of filing of nominations. The Congress candidate for the post of Mayor of Jaipur Municipal Corporation was declared just few hours before the deadline.

PCC president CP Joshi and Mahesh Joshi, party’s Lok Sabha member from Jaipur, turned the elections into a prestige issue. CP Joshi was in favour of Archana Sharma, whereas Mahesh Joshi wanted Jyoti Khandelwal. A furious CP Joshi walked out from the meeting, in which Mahesh Joshi kept on insisting on Khandelwal. Ultimately Mahesh Joshi got his way with support from Gehlot and managed to get the ticket for his protégé. Despite disciplinary action against rebels, both parties are facing problems in half a dozen cities.

Though the municipal elections are being contested on local issues, political observers feel it has assumed political significance. The ruling Congress party leaders are seeking votes on the basis of the government’s performance in the state. But the BJP is pegging its campaign on the non-performance of the Gehlot government.

It is generally perceived that the ruling party always has an edge in any elections to the Assembly, Lok Sabha and local bodies. Hence the results of these elections would be an indication of which side the political wind is blowing in the state.