In Rajasthan's Dungarpur, Congress & BJP join hands to keep BTP out of power in Zila polls

Even as the Congress and the BJP leave no stone unturned to attack each other on scores of issues, Rajasthan's Dungarpur Zila Parishad members have joined hands to defeat a Zila Pramukh candidate supported by the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP). In the recent elections, BTP-backed Independents won 13 seats in the Dungarpur Zila Parishad, while BJP won 8 seats, Congress won 6 seats. Thus, in order to keep BTP-backed Parwati Doda out of power, Congress and BJP together voted for Surya Ahari - a BJP member who contested as an Independent.

BTP founder Chhotubhai Vasava slammed both the parties for coming together and soon after his tweet, “Congress BJP ek hai" (BJP and Congress are one) started trending on Twitter. He also wished PM Modi and CM Ashok Gehlot on their “newfound alliance”.

READ | As BJP loses 5 of 6 Maharashtra MLC polls; Fadnavis 'underestimated MVA', mocks Shiv Sena

READ |  9 infants die in Kota's state-run JK Lon Hospital; Rajasthan Health Minister orders probe

Cong suffers blow in Rajasthan panchayat polls 

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan suffered a jolt with the BJP beating it in panchayat elections, an outcome which the winning party on Wednesday called a farmers' mandate amid protests against the Centre's new agri-marketing laws. The BJP bagged 1,989 of the 4,371 panchayat samiti seats while the Congress won 1852 with almost all results of the four-phase local government polls being declared. The CPI (M) bagged 26 seats, the RLP six and the Bahujan Samaj Party five. Independent candidates won 439 panchayat samiti seats.

At the zila parishad level, BJP candidates won 353 of the 635 seats for which results were declared and the Congress got 252. Only one zila parishad seat result is yet to be announced in the election held across 21 of the state's 33 districts. The BJP candidates are now in majority in 13 of these district boards and the party is set to head one more with the help of ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). The Congress has won five of the remaining zila parishads.

READ | BJP accuses Mamata & Nusrat Jahan of lying about JP Nadda's Tagore quote; row breaks out

READ | BJP to demand MLC nomination for Global Teacher Prize 2020 winner Ranjitsinh Disale