Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot upbeat after win in urban local bodies' polls

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is upbeat after the Congress won 36 posts of Chairmen in urban local bodies out of 50 posts. The Chief Minister was at the receiving end after the loss in the rural polls but has bounced back with these results. After the results were announced Ashok Gehlot said, "the win of Congress in 36 and two independents is good and congratulations to those who have won" Significantly, the BJP which was upbeat after the rural polls could get only 12 posts in these elections.

The state politics are not yet settled with party in-charge of the state Ajay Maken discussing various political issues with Gehlot and his bete noire former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Sources say that Maken has discussed the expansion of the state cabinet and appointments in the corporations boards which is pending.

Sachin Pilot too wants his supporters to be adjusted in the government as many ministers loyal to him were sacked after his rebellion including Ramesh Meena and VishvendraPratap Singh. Pilot along with his supporters is lying low for the moment but there is always the danger of his striking back with Gehlot mostly confined to the CM's residence due to Covid, said sources. The Congress was trying hard to make up for the loss in the Panchayat polls and win the maximum number of posts of Chairman and the party has passed the test . A jubilant Gehlot had thanked the workers and the voters for keeping faith in the Congress party as the urban body results will compensate for the loss in the rural polls. Gehlot had blamed COVID-19 for the party's loss in the Panchayat polls, saying the results were not as per the Congress' expectations. But insiders in the party feel that though the urban poll results did not compensate for the rural poll loss but it has given a reprieve to the Chief Minister who is fighting on two fronts — internal revolts and the opposition BJP onslaught to try and pull down his government.

In a setback to the Congress in Rajasthan last week, the opposition BJP had swept 1,911 seats in the PanchayatSamiti polls while the ruling party was limited to 1,781 seats. Independents won 425 seats, the BahujanSamaj Party got 3 seats while the CPI-M captured 16 seats and the RashtriyaLoktantrik Party got 57 seats. Sensing danger, Gehlot had attacked his detractors in the party while inaugurating a Congress office in Sirohi district recently before the results of the Panchayat polls came in, saying the state government was saved from a crisis as the senior leaders suspended the rebels in the party. He had also accused the BJP of restarting a "Game of Thrones" yet again to topple his government. (IANS)

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