Jaipur, Nov 13 (IANS) BJP state president Madan Rathore appealed to voters to participate in large numbers in the Panchayati Raj elections and vote for the BJP to ensure the comprehensive development of villages.
He said public participation was the cornerstone of democracy and every vote would contribute to strengthening democratic institutions and building a developed India.
Rathore said Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisioned transforming India into a developed nation, a goal that could only be achieved if the country’s villages also progressed.
He urged voters to recognise the importance of their participation in the electoral process. The BJP State President said the party was committed to providing villages with basic amenities comparable to those available in urban areas. Better roads, streetlights, drainage systems and internet connectivity would be developed to improve living standards in rural areas and prevent migration from villages.
He said Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma was equally committed to rural development. With the BJP governments at both the Centre and the state, a BJP-led administration in rural local bodies would give fresh impetus to development initiatives.
Rathore said the first three phases of the elections had witnessed encouraging support for the BJP and expressed confidence that the party would receive a strong mandate in the fourth phase as well.
Responding to criticism by opposition leaders, including former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Rathore said Gehlot should introspect. Had he provided timely training to elected representatives during his tenure, the state’s development scenario could have been much better, he said.
Rathore said the BJP was actively organising training programmes for its newly elected representatives to make them capable and accountable.
He alleged that the previous Congress government had failed to adequately train even its own MLAs. Distinguishing the two parties, Rathore said the Congress had focused on power politics and baadabandi (keeping legislators together at designated locations), whereas the BJP believed in training, accountability and development.
Rathore also defended the decision of the Bhajanlal Sharma government to conduct elections within a shorter timeframe, saying that completing the electoral process simultaneously across the state would provide more time for development work.
He said the government was following this approach by conducting local body elections first and Panchayati Raj elections subsequently.
Rathore claimed that during the previous Gehlot government, the Model Code of Conduct remained in force for approximately 280 days as elections were conducted in 13 phases over nearly 18 months.
In contrast, he said, the present BJP government was completing the Panchayati Raj election process in approximately 40 days.
He added that elections under the previous Congress government were generally conducted in multiple phases, whereas the BJP government’s objective was to complete the process within a defined timeframe and accelerate development activities.
–IANS
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