Rajasthan civic polls: BJP wins but CM Vasundhara Raje humbled after failure in her bastion

NEW DELHI: Unlike her counterpart in neighbouring MP, where the ruling BJP swept through local polls, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje had to face a bittersweet verdict in the state’s first local polls after the Lalitgate controversy.

Election results for 129 bodies in the state kept the ruling BJP in lead, but the party also faced upset defeats in Raje bastions of Jhalawar, Baran and Dholpur at the hands of Congress.

The EC data showed that BJP secured victories in 1,443 wards and Congress in 1,164, while independents secured 703 wards. But it was the results in some local bodies scattered across three districts — known as Raje bastions — that became the highlight for the day. BJP could elect only 15 members against Congress’ 20 in Raje’s assembly seat Jhalrapatan. In Jhalawar, Congress managed to elect 15 against BJP’s 10. Similar trends were seen in Karauli, near Raje’s home of Dholpur, where Congress won more seats than BJP. Both local bodies in Baran district, which falls under son Dushyant Singh’s constituency, also showed a similar trend.