Posters welcoming BJP national president Nitin Nabin to the Pink City of Jaipur created a massive buzz. Congress leaders also pointed to posters in which a Dy CM’s photograph appeared cropped or absent. Soon, the size and placement of the pictures of other leaders were being read for signs of who mattered most. Even the spelling of Nabin’s name drew attention and catty comments, though “Nabin” is his correct name. For a visit meant to put the spotlight on the party’s national president, the welcome posters briefly became the story itself rather than the political import of Nabin’s first trip to Jaipur as BJP’s top gun!
Congress has numbers, but BJP gets mayoral chairs
After the intense clash in Rajasthan’s municipal elections, the Congress has found a number to flaunt, but the BJP has the mayoral chairs! In Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota, Congress polled 15,839 more votes than its rival. The BJP still won more wards and took all three mayoral posts. This puzzle extends across the state: the parties’ vote shares were less than a percentage point apart, yet the BJP formed boards in 200 municipal bodies against Congress’s 95. Congress leaders allege the mandate was stolen; the BJP is simply pointing to the results. For Congress, the issue is why a lead in votes across three big cities yielded nothing at the top.
Beniwal’s `1 cr bag puts spotlight on temple vow
RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal knows the art of staying in the news. At the Tejaji Maharaj fair in Kharnal, he brought `1 crore in cash to make his point. The Nagaur MP handed the bag to the temple development committee as a part of his promise to arrange `11 crore for building the temple. “I will talk to people” about the remaining `10 crore, he said. Beniwal is also talking about creating a third force in Rajasthan politics and meeting potential allies. Whether that ambition takes shape is anyone’s guess. But for now, he has ensured that his temple pledge and the bag of cash will be talked about.
Rajesh Asnani
Our correspondent in Jaipur
rajesh.asnani@newindianexpress.com