Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur

Jaipur, Sep 15: The Congress on Monday claimed that it won significantly more seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) than the BJP in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections, attributing the performance to what it described as growing resentment over the BJP’s treatment of Dalits.

Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said the BJP had paid a political price for allegedly “insulting” party president Mallikarjun Kharge, a Dalit leader, referring to a purification ceremony held in Haldwani last month following Kharge’s visit.

“Their attitude has been to change and destroy the Constitution. And the way they insulted Kharge ji and Dalits led to a difference (in results),” Dotasra told reporters.

According to figures shared by Dotasra, Congress won 542 wards reserved for SC candidates, compared with 350 won by the BJP — a difference of 192 seats.

The Congress also claimed an advantage in seats reserved for SC women, winning 261 compared with the BJP’s 186, a difference of 75 seats.

In ST-reserved wards, Congress won 53 seats while the BJP secured 39, according to the party’s figures.

The claims came amid the broader results of Rajasthan’s urban local body elections, in which the BJP emerged ahead of Congress in the overall ward tally. According to election results reported on Monday, the BJP had won 3,587 wards compared with 3,050 for Congress, while Independents secured 2,024 seats as counting progressed across the state.

The elections were held across 309 urban local bodies, comprising 10 municipal corporations, 51 municipal councils and 248 municipalities, with more than 10,000 councillor seats at stake.

The results produced a mixed picture for the two major parties. Congress won 37 of 80 wards in Ajmer, compared with 32 for the BJP, while it also emerged victorious in Pali. Congress secured 38 of 65 wards in Sikar and 29 of 45 wards in Jhalawar, while the BJP made strong gains in several other urban bodies.

The BJP, meanwhile, secured a clear majority in Udaipur Municipal Corporation by winning 53 of the 80 wards, with Congress taking 23. Independents also emerged as a significant force in several areas, including Bharatpur.

The results are being viewed as an important political test for the ruling BJP government in Rajasthan ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. Elections for mayors and chairpersons of the urban local bodies are scheduled for September 21, followed by elections for deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and vice-presidents on September 22.

Dotasra’s comments are likely to add a political dimension to the civic poll results, with the Congress seeking to highlight its performance in SC- and ST-reserved wards despite the BJP’s stronger overall showing across Rajasthan’s urban local bodies.