Rajasthan local polls trial by fire for BJP. Caste uproar, CJP forced CM to jump in

Coming just months after the CJP-led Gen Z stir and amid the uproar over UGC Caste Equity rules, the Rajasthan urban polls could prove a major test for the BJP. Such is the pressure that Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma held roadshows. Will the BJP be able to retain the support of its core voter base?Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma campaigns for the BJP in Kota, promising better civic amenities and planned urban development. (X/@BhajanlalBjp)Local body polls generally do not matter beyond a state. However, the election for Rajasthan's 309 urban local bodies, the first phase of voting for which is being held on Wednesday, is being keenly watched by a cross-section of people even from other states. One of the reasons is the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activism in the state, while the other big factor is the street agitation over the now-stayed UGC Caste Equity rules.The second and last phase of voting for Rajasthan's urban local bodies will be held on September 11, with results slated to be declared on September 14.The election will reveal the mood of the BJP's core urban Hindu voters in a state which has seen mobilisation over the UGC Caste Equity rules and the Gen Z stir.The significance of the election can be gauged from the fact that Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has plunged headlong into the campaigning. This is Sharma's first big test, and he seems to be on the defensive. With four in every 10 urban voters aged 35 or below, and the Congress and the BJP betting on young faces, the civic polls are turning out to be a major test for the saffron party, and an even bigger one for CM Sharma, who has jumped into the battle with an extensive series of roadshows and batting for a "Triple Engine government".Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said Sharma's roadshows reflected the BJP government's "biggest failure". He said it was the first time in his memory that any CM was holding roadshows for local body polls in Rajasthan.RAJASTHAN LOCAL BODY ELECTION: FIVE-FRONT TEST FOR BJP The BJP returned to power in Rajasthan in the Assembly election in December 2023. However, its tally dropped from 25 to 14 in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, while the Congress won eight and its allies bagged three.The previous cycle of municipal elections, held in several rounds between 2019 and 2021, had largely favoured the then-ruling Congress. However, the BJP had retained some important urban strongholds, including Jaipur Greater.But the 2026 local body polls across Rajasthan's cities and towns will test the BJP on five fronts. The mood of its core urban Hindu voters, discontent among the "upper-castes" over UGC rules and quota reforms, the vote of the youth, and the fielding of young candidates. The poll results would also reveal whether loyalty to the incumbent BJP can withstand daily concerns over broken roads, clogged drains, garbage, water shortages and failing sewage systems.The urban body election in Rajasthan covers 10,245 councillor posts in 10 municipal corporations, 51 municipal councils and 248 municipalities. More than 1.44 crore people are eligible to vote at 16,465 polling centres across Rajasthan. Elections for mayors and chairpersons will follow on September 21, while deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and municipal vice presidents will be chosen on September 22, according to a PTI report.RAJASTHAN POLLS: TEST OVER BJP'S URBAN HINDU CORE VOTER BASERajasthan's cities and towns have long been a crucial part of the BJP's electoral base. Traders, salaried households, upper castes and sections of the aspirational Hindu middle-class have helped the party build a formidable urban organisation. A civic election, however, is fought closer to the voter's doorstep. A family that backs Narendra Modi in a Lok Sabha election could still punish a councillor over a broken road, an overflowing drain or irregular garbage collection.That might make these polls tricky for the BJP, as there have been plenty of reports of civic mess from Rajasthan. BJP governments are in power in Delhi and in Jaipur, giving it organisational muscle. That would also make it difficult to shift responsibility for poor civic services.Chief Minister Sharma, one of the BJP's relatively low-profile CMs, has responded with a "triple engine" pitch, asking voters to elect the saffron party at the municipal level as well. But the slogan raises the level of accountability too. If the Centre, state and municipality are run by one party, the voter has only one door at which to leave a complaint.Meanwhile, during a recent roadshow in Bikaner, CM Sharma encountered protesters chanting "UGC Roll Back". That signals a continued resistance to the now-stayed equity regulations. The protests are significant because opposition to the regulations has mobilised sections of Rajasthan's "upper-castes" led by the Karni Sena.The Karni Sena in July had held an 800-km yatra to Jaipur and its chief had warned that the community would not vote for the BJP in the local body polls. The Karni Sena's march from Bikaner to Jaipur marked a tactical shift from aggressive street protests to a wider, largely peaceful mobilisation of general category voters, reported India Today Magazine journalist Rohit Parihar in August.The BJP has also attempted to widen its social reach. In Jaipur, it has fielded eight Muslim candidates after nominating no Muslim candidate in Rajasthan in either the 2023 Assembly or the 2024 Lok Sabha election, according to a report in The Indian Express.RAJASTHAN OBC REPORT STIRS A CASTE HORNETS' NESTThe election comes soon after numbers attributed to Rajasthan's unpublished OBC Political Representation Commission report became public and triggered an uproar among some of the influential communities like Jats and Gurjars.The commission was formed to complete the Supreme Court-mandated "triple test" for providing OBC reservation in local bodies.According to a report in The New Indian Express, sources familiar with the report said it estimated Rajasthan's OBC population at around 43%, or 3.59 crore. Jat groups rejected the reported estimate of 71.76 lakh for their community, claiming their actual population exceeded 92 lakh. Gurjar organisations also disputed the reported figure of 32.68 lakh for their community and claimed their population was around 80 lakh.These objections have gained political weight. Nagaur MP and RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal, Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha president Rajaram Meel, state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully have questioned the figures. The All India Gurjar Mahasabha demanded a review.The row could hurt the BJP in Jat influenced towns across Shekhawati and western Rajasthan, including Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu and Nagaur, and in the Gurjar belt of eastern Rajasthan, particularly Dausa, Bharatpur, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur.While the government has not officially published the report, the caste numbers remain attributed to sources.DID CJP CAMPAIGN PUT BJP ON THE BACK FOOT?Coming months after the CJP protests, which also triggered mobilisation and government action in Rajasthan, and amid upper caste discontent over the UGC norms, the weight of the youth vote adds another layer of uncertainty to the state’s urban local body polls.State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh said 14.7% of Rajasthan's urban electors were aged 18 to 25, while another 25.4% were between 26 and 35. That means 40.1% of the 1.44 crore urban voters are 35 or younger.The CJP-led Gen Z protests and its subsequent 'School Thik Karo' campaign also made some noise in Rajasthan. Through AAP candidates in the fray, education entered political conversations before the polls.CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka along with other workers visited a dilapidated government school at Rampura Kanwarpura near Jaipur, where children were allegedly studying in conditions resembling cattle sheds. They were allegedly attacked during the visit. The Rajasthan government subsequently sanctioned Rs 18 lakh for a new school building, and Ranka called the decision "a major victory for the students." Ranka hails from Rajasthan's Jaipur district.Soon afterwards, the Bhajan Lal Sharma government announced a three-year, Rs 12,500-crore plan to overhaul school infrastructure. Although it did not link the plan to the CJP campaign, the timing of the announcement, soon after the protests and ahead of the local polls, drew attention.CONGRESS VS BJP IN FIELDING GEN Z CANDIDATESBoth the principal parties, the BJP and the Congress, have sought to demonstrate that they have heard the message from the younger generation. The Congress had promised to give 50% of its tickets to people below 50, although everyone below 50 cannot be described as Gen Z.A separate count of candidates in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer and Kota identified 70 Gen Z candidates fielded by the BJP and the Congress. The Congress was ahead with 49, compared with the BJP’s 21. The figure covers five major cities, not all 309 urban bodies, according to a report in Hindi daily, Dainik Bhaskar.Young candidates have also changed the visual language of the campaign. First-time contestants are using Instagram Reels, short videos and other social media tools to introduce themselves, showcase their qualifications and highlight ward problems.Potholes, blocked sewers or garbage dumps have also featured in Instagram Reel. The results of the polls would also show if digital visibility and outreach can be converted into votes.WHY THE VERDICT MATTERS MORE FOR CM BHAJAN LALWhile Rajasthan has already voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and a few Assembly bypolls after Bhajan Lal Sharma was made the CM in December 2023, the ongoing urban local body polls are, however, the first simultaneous statewide elections under his leadership and thus could be seen as the broadest report card from its urban centres.Sharma's campaign has left little doubt that he has taken personal ownership of the contest. He has held roadshows across divisional and district centres, while the BJP has brought in senior leaders like former UP MP Harish Dwivedi and Maharashtra minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and organisational teams from other states.Former CM Gehlot claimed Sharma's campaigning reflected "the government's concern over growing public dissatisfaction" and pointed to the condition of roads, sanitation and slums. While this could be an opposition allegation, the CM's extensive intervention reveals how seriously the BJP views the contest.The Congress leader said this was the first time, to his knowledge, that a chief minister was holding roadshows for elections to municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipal boards."Why has the chief minister been forced to hold a roadshow? This is no achievement for them; rather, it is their biggest failure," Gehlot said, reported news agency PTI.A victory would reaffirm the BJP's hold over urban Rajasthan and help Sharma contain the narratives of caste and youth unrest. A defeat would not remain confined to municipal boards. It could travel far, maybe to Jaipur and beyond.- EndsPublished By: Sushim MukulPublished On: Sep 9, 2026 14:36 IST