Jaipur, Sep 6 (PTI) BJP leader and former Rajasthan Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore on Sunday said the Bhajanlal Sharma government was completing the civic and panchayat elections in around 40 days, compared with nearly 280 days of model code of conduct during the previous Congress government.
Rathore said the shorter election period would help ensure development work was not repeatedly affected by the model code of conduct.
He said elections to 309 urban local bodies were being held together, with the model code of conduct coming into force on August 19 and continuing until September 17.
Panchayat elections were also expected to be completed by November, taking the total period of the model code to around 40 days, he said.
Rathore alleged that during the previous Congress government, urban local body and panchayat elections between 2019 and 2021 were held in 13 phases, resulting in the model code remaining in force for around 280 days over an 18-month period.
“Elections should strengthen democracy but should not stop development,” Rathore said, describing the government’s approach as “less model code, more development”.
He also defended Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s election campaign and challenged former chief minister Ashok Gehlot to hold a roadshow in his own Assembly constituency.
Rathore said the BJP government had started the recruitment process for 24,752 sanitation workers and accused the previous Congress government of issuing a recruitment advertisement just three days before the model code came into force without completing the process.
On the BJP’s “one state, one election” policy, Rathore said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “one nation, one election” was aimed at reducing the time, resources and expenditure involved in repeated elections and limiting disruption to administrative work.
He recalled that Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra had earlier questioned whether the state’s “one state, one election” plan could be implemented.
“Now see, your ‘Kakaji’ (Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma) is getting it done,” Rathore said in a jibe at Dotasra.
Rathore also welcomed the inclusion of 14 historic Shekhawati havelis in UNESCO’s tentative list, calling it a matter of pride for the region and Rajasthan. PTI AG MDO MDO
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