Jaipur: Close on the heels of an improved performance in Gujarat, the Congress has won all the four zila parishad seats as well as 16 of the 27 panchayat samiti seats and six nagar palika seats in Rajasthan, for which by-elections were held recently.
The ruling BJP had to remain content with 10 panchayat samiti seats although it won seven nagar palika wards in Rajasthan.
The BJP could not retain even a single of the four zila parishad seats that it held, according to the State Election Commission.
The by-elections for 27 panchayat samitis of 19 districts, 14 nagar palikas of 12 districts and four zila parishads were held on December 17.
“The results of by-elections of local bodies has proved that the countdown for the BJP in Rajasthan has begun. Congress has expressed the feelings of the people in the last four years and they have trust in the party,” Congress state president Sachin Pilot said.
He predicted a similar result in the upcoming by-elections for the two parliamentary seats of Alwar and Ajmer as well as the Mandalgarh Assembly seat.
By-elections on all the three seats have been necessitated due to sudden death of two BJP parliamentarians and a BJP legislator.
The party also lost two nagar palika wards in Baran district.
However, state BJP spokesperson, Anand Sharma claimed that the result was good for the party as it has grabbed several seats earlier held by the Congress.
In August, opposition Congress had won 19 out of the total 37 seats in by-elections to urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions while the ruling BJP had got only ten.
