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Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP & RSS bending rules to win civic polls by any means: Gehlot
Jaipur: Former CM Wednesday criticised state govt for making changes to the structures of and urban bodies that he called "arbitrary" and a "flouting of all rules and regulations" in the delimitation process. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Gehlot alleged that and are employing various objectionable and arbitrary tactics to secure victories in the panchayati raj and urban body elections. The reorganisation of wards in local bodies was done to ensure political gains, he alleged. "The BJP govt in Rajasthan is arbitrarily reorganising the panchayati raj and urban bodies. This is the first time I saw all rules and laws being violated. District collectors refused to take further action on public objections and are saying they cannot do anything as everything is being done at the state govt level," said Gehlot in a post on X. He said BJP and RSS are trying to win the panchayati raj and urban body elections by any means. "They (BJP govt) did not conduct bypolls in several places, including for the Bharatpur district parishad chairman. Then, under the pretext of One State-One Election, they did not hold elections even after the term ended, and now they are ignoring rules and public convenience to secure their vote bank," added Gehlot. The ex-CM pointed out that neither the minimum and maximum population criteria are being considered, nor is the appropriate distance from the headquarters being maintained. "In some cases, villages 10 km away from the city are being included in urban bodies, while in others, villages are being linked to panchayats in such a way that the panchayat headquarters is 5 to 10 km away," he said. "I want to tell state govt that such activities are not appropriate. There is growing resentment among the public about this. District collectors should also ensure the entire reorganisation process is conducted consistently according to the rules, without yielding to political pressure," added Gehlot. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra also accused RSS and BJP of running a parallel delimitation process by exerting "pressure on officials to redraw panchayat limits for political gains". He alleged that Rajya Sabha member Ghanshyam Tiwari, former state BJP president Arun Chaturvedi and ex-minister Rajendra Rathore are leading this effort "by influencing district magistrates and other officials".
Hans India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
BJP govt flouting norms to win local body elections: Ashok Gehlot
Jaipur: Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday alleged that the Rajasthan government was violating rules and engaging in irregularities while reorganising the Panchayati Raj institutions and urban bodies in the state. In a strongly worded social media post, Gehlot criticised the BJP and the RSS, accusing them of manipulating the process to win upcoming local body elections "by hook or crook". He claimed that the government was arbitrarily making new boundaries, flouting legal procedures, and ignoring public objections. Gehlot wrote on Instagram: 'The BJP government in Rajasthan is arbitrarily reorganising Panchayati Raj and urban bodies. I have never seen such blatant disregard for rules and laws. Instead of addressing public objections, district collectors are saying they can't intervene, as all decisions are being made at the state level.' He further alleged that the government failed to conduct by-elections in several areas, including the Bharatpur district, and used the excuse of 'One State-One Election' to delay elections even after the completion of terms. 'Now, in a bid to appease their vote bank, they are ignoring established norms and public convenience. Minimum and maximum population standards are not being followed, nor is the required distance from administrative headquarters being maintained,' Gehlot added. He pointed out specific anomalies, such as merging villages located 10 kilometres from cities into urban bodies, and assigning villages to panchayats in such a way that the panchayat headquarters ends up 5 to 10 km away. Gehlot concluded by stating that public resentment is growing due to these irregularities. On Tuesday, the state government's decision to delay municipal body elections was challenged in the Rajasthan High Court. A division bench comprising Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anand Sharma heard the PIL filed by former MLA Sanyam Lodha and directed the state government to submit its response within four weeks. According to the petition, elections have not been conducted in 55 municipal bodies whose terms expired in November 2024. Instead, administrators have been appointed -- an act the petitioner alleges is unconstitutional and violates the Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009. Advocate Puneet Singhvi, representing Lodha, argued that the Supreme Court has held that local body elections can only be delayed in exceptional circumstances, such as natural disasters. "There is no such justification in the current case. The government has failed to uphold its constitutional obligation," Singhvi said
