Team News Riveting
If the Panchayat poll results in Rajasthan are any indication, the political parties sponsoring farmers’ agitation in the pretext of agriculture bills have to rethink on the strategy.
For, the rural pockets in Rajasthan comprising mainly farmers have voted for the BJP in the state panchayat elections. Results inclining towards Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came at a time when opposition-sponsored farmers’ protest against the agriculture farm bills has been in peak.
The BJP has bagged 1,911 seats in the recently held panchayat elections while the ruling Congress has been confined to 1,781 seats. Similarly, BJP managed to cross the majority mark on its own in 11 Zilla Parishads, winning 353 of the 636 in a clean sweep.
The results may worry Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is battling internal feud within the state unit. But equally baffling is for the political parties using farmers’ banners to score over BJP against the historic agriculture reform bills.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who raised a revolt against Gehlot a couple of months ago, is playing cards close to his chest. Instead of grilling Gehlot on the panchayat polls outcome, the opponents are lying low.
Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, said this was a rural election with 2.5 crore voters and the BJP’s thumping victory indicated that farmers were backing the farm laws.
