Jaipur: The urban local body election results, to be declared Monday, will be an important political test for BJP govt in Rajasthan, offering an early indication of the mood among urban voters and the party’s grassroots strength.For chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the results will serve as a midterm report card of sorts on govt’s two-and-a-half-year performance. BJP will be keen to see whether its governance narrative and work on local issues have translated into votes, particularly in urban centres that have traditionally been its strongholds.For BJP state president Madan Rathore, the results will also reflect how effectively the organisation has handled the contest at the local level. With the party now looking to form boards in urban local bodies, managing competing claims by workers, preferences of senior leaders and local equations will be crucial. Keeping rebels and independents from eating into the BJP vote will be another challenge.“In local polls, where margins can often be extremely narrow, even a handful of rebel candidates could affect the BJP’s prospects,” said a senior party member.Deputy chief minister Diya Kumari will also have a keen interest in the outcome in her Vidyadhar Nagar constituency, which has 22 wards. Protests over the UGC issue were witnessed during the election campaign, particularly in the region. The results will indicate whether the issue had any impact on the BJP’s support base or whether Kumari was able to pacify the discontent before polling.The results will also matter for several BJP central ministers and senior leaders who took charge of the campaign in their home turfs. They were involved in managing ticket-related dissent, keeping the organisation together and campaigning for party candidates.For Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal, the results in their respective strongholds will have significance beyond the urban bodies. “Their ability to deliver victories in their home turf will be closely linked to their political influence and organisational strength,” a BJP functionary said.
