Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], October 7 : Rajasthan Congress in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had used pressure through the police and administration during the earlier municipal elections, claiming that the ruling party could have faced a complete defeat otherwise.
Speaking to ANI, Randhawa alleged that bureaucrats and the administration had openly supported the BJP in the state and raised concerns over the functioning of grassroots democracy ahead of the Panchayati Raj elections.
“In the municipality elections that were held earlier, see how large our vote share was there. And had they not applied pressure on them through the police or the administration, the BJP would have faced a complete washout,” Randhawa said.
“It has happened for the first time that in Rajasthan, from the government's side and the administration's side, bureaucrats have openly aided the BJP. This is a very unfortunate matter,” he added.
Randhawa further alleged that the BJP was attempting to weaken the system of local self-governance and said the Congress would oppose any move that affected people's voting rights.
“Grassroots democracy, where the panchayats are revered as arbiters of justice - they are dismantling that very system where people elect their own representatives and make their own decisions. If things continue this way, there is a grave threat to the country's democracy,” he said.
“The BJP has made up its mind to finish off this democracy, but the people of this country, as well as the Congress party, have also resolved that the freedom and the voting rights we received will not be allowed to be destroyed,” Randhawa said.
His remarks come ahead of Rajasthan's four-phase Panchayati Raj elections. The State Election Commission has scheduled polling for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members on October 23, October 29, November 4 and November 14, while polling for Panch and Sarpanch posts will be held in four phases beginning October 25. More than four crore voters are eligible to participate, with 45,384 polling stations set up across the state.
Earlier on October 4, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also targeted the BJP government, claiming that farmers were unhappy with Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's governance and would express their dissatisfaction in the panchayat polls.
The Model Code of Conduct is currently in force in Rajasthan following the announcement of the election schedule.