Rajasthan LoP alleges BJP pressure on councillors ahead of civic body polls
Rajasthan Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully accused the BJP government of misusing police and administrative agencies to pressure Congress councillors ahead of civic body elections.
Rajasthan's Leader of the Opposition, Tikaram Jully, on Monday accused the State's BJP government of using the police, administration and other agencies to pressure elected councillors as urban local bodies move to elect their heads.
In a statement, Mr. Jully said councillors from Tijara were stopped by Haryana Police while returning from Shimla, and that Congress councillors from Khairthal were being harassed by police in Amer, Jaipur, where they were staying.
"This is not an election, but an attempt to capture the mandate using the power of the government," he said, describing it as a violation of democratic norms and a misuse of government machinery.
Citing Malakhera municipality in the Alwar Rural Assembly constituency, Mr. Jully alleged that GST action had been initiated against Mahesh Chandra, the Congress councillor elected from Ward 13. He further alleged that revenue officials were being used to threaten the demolition of the house of Manish Balai, the Congress councillor from Ward 5, to press him into voting for the BJP.
Mr. Jully said the BJP has only two councillors in Malakhera, against the 11 needed to form the board. Addressing Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, he asked how many councillors would be intimidated or threatened.
He alleged that the police and administration were being used as instruments of political pressure to influence the election of civic body heads. "In the urban local body elections in the State, the Congress is directly contesting against the police and administration. The BJP is the third front," he said.
The process of electing chairpersons is under way in 309 urban local bodies across Rajasthan. Elections for mayors, chairpersons and presidents in 305 urban local bodies, including seven municipal corporations, were held on Monday, with polls for deputy mayors, vice-chairpersons and vice-presidents scheduled for Tuesday.
Elections for the mayoral and deputy mayoral posts in the Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota municipal corporations, and for the chairperson and vice-chairperson posts in Suket municipality in Kota, will be held on Friday.