Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Congress Credits Dalit Backlash for Rajasthan Local Poll Gains
Rajasthan held elections for urban local governments.
Congress said it won more seats reserved for Dalits and tribal communities than the BJP.
Congress leader Govind Singh Dotasra connected this result to anger over an alleged purification ceremony after Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally in Haldwani.
Police had registered a case against unknown people over that ceremony.
Dotasra also criticized how voting wards were divided.
He said some wards had many more voters than others, which he argued helped the BJP.
Congress requested recounts in many close contests.
The BJP won 4,097 wards, according to Dotasra’s figures, but he said many victories had very small margins.
The article does not include a response from the BJP to these allegations.
Congress said it won 542 SC-reserved wards versus 350 for the BJP in Rajasthan’s urban local-body polls.
Congress also led the BJP in SC-women wards, 261 to 186, and ST-reserved wards, 53 to 39.
State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra linked the results to alleged insults against Mallikarjun Kharge and Dalits.
Dotasra alleged that ward delimitation was illegal and that recounts were requested in 1,316 close contests.
He said the BJP’s vote-share lead over Congress had narrowed to about one percentage point in the polls.
- Who
- The Rajasthan Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra.
- What
- Congress attributed its stronger performance in reserved urban local-body wards partly to Dalit backlash and alleged irregularities in ward delimitation.
- When
- The results were declared Monday; the Kharge rally took place on August 8, and the alleged purification ceremony occurred two days later.
- Where
- Rajasthan’s urban local bodies, with the related purification controversy occurring at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
- Why
- Congress said voters reacted to the alleged treatment of Kharge and to BJP positions it characterized as hostile to the Constitution and reservation.
Congress’s interpretation
BJP’s position
Meaning of the results
Congress’s interpretation
Congress said the results showed Dalit voters had reacted against the alleged humiliation of Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP positions it described as opposed to the Constitution and reservation.
BJP’s position
The article reports the BJP’s wins and electoral performance but does not include a BJP response to Congress’s interpretation.
Ward delimitation
Congress’s interpretation
Congress called the delimitation illegal and arbitrary, arguing that large differences in ward populations distorted results and helped the BJP win narrowly.
BJP’s position
The article does not provide the BJP’s response to the delimitation allegations.
Close contests and recounts
Congress’s interpretation
Congress said results were allegedly withheld in some wards where its candidates led and requested recounts in 1,316 wards.
BJP’s position
The article does not report the BJP’s response to the recount claims.
- SC-reserved wards
- Congress won 542; BJP won 350.
- SC-women-reserved wards
- Congress won 261; BJP won 186.
- ST-reserved wards
- Congress won 53; BJP won 39.
- BJP wards cited
- BJP won 4,097 wards, according to Govind Singh Dotasra.
- Close BJP victories
- BJP’s margin was under 100 votes in 1,316 wards and under 50 votes in 772 wards, according to Dotasra.
- Purification controversy
- A ritual was held at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan two days after Kharge’s August 8 rally; police later registered an FIR against unknown persons.
- Vote-share claim
- Dotasra said the BJP’s lead over Congress in the polls was about one percentage point.