Himachal Pradesh Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi on Thursday said BJP leaders are trying to divert public attention from pressing issues such as rising petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices by falsely claiming victory in the recent Panchayat elections.
Talking to mediapersons here, he said people across the state are demanding answers from the BJP over inflation. He said the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders continue to rise, placing a heavy burden on ordinary families. He said BJP leaders are urging citizens to avoid buying items such as gold and silver, while remaining silent on the increasing cost of essential goods and services.
Negi said the BJP is attempting to distract people from real issues by portraying the Panchayati Raj Institution election results as a victory, despite what he described as a clear rejection of the party by voters across the state. He said the Panchayat elections were not contested on party symbols. He added that out of 3,754 panchayats in the state, around 2,400 Pradhans and 2,600 Deputy Pradhans elected were aligned with the Congress party.
He said the results of urban local body elections also favoured Congress. Congress-backed candidates won in 29 out of the state's 53 urban local bodies. In particular, Congress secured victories in all six municipal bodies in Kangra district, while the BJP failed to win any. He said the BJP suffered a complete setback in Mandi district. Given these results, he questioned the basis on which the BJP was claiming victory.
Jagat Singh Negi said Panchayat elections are not fought on party symbols and are generally influenced more by a candidate's personal popularity, local issues and regional factors. Despite this, he said, the BJP is giving a political colour to the results in an attempt to mislead the public.
The Revenue Minister also rejected claims that these elections were a “semi-final” before future elections. He said they were neither a semi-final nor a quarter-final. Referring to the Assembly by-elections, he said that when the BJP attempted to bring down the democratically elected state government through money power, the public responded by defeating the party. He said the BJP lost six out of nine Assembly by-election seats and questioned why Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur had not resigned after that result.
The Revenue Minister said the BJP wants to keep the Panchayat election results in the spotlight to divert attention from important issues affecting both the state and the country. He said it was the vision of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress Party that led to reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions for women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He said these measures ensured wider participation in development and strengthened democracy at the grassroots level.
The minister said the BJP should focus on issues that directly affect ordinary people and rural development rather than making political claims about election results. He said policies of the central government were negatively affecting development work at the Panchayat level and reducing employment opportunities.
He said the effective reduction in MGNREGA funding would leave panchayats without sufficient resources for development projects. He added that if panchayats do not receive adequate financial support, newly elected representatives would find it difficult to accelerate development work. This could affect basic infrastructure, employment generation and other public welfare initiatives in rural areas.
The minister said the BJP should clearly explain its position on these serious issues, as sufficient financial resources are essential for the effective functioning of panchayats and rural development.
The Revenue Minister said the Congress party also performed well in the urban local body elections held in Chamba district. He said that after 10 years, Congress-backed candidates won both the President and Vice-President posts in the Chamba urban local body, and after 15 years, they secured both positions in the Chowari municipal body as well.
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