BJP Unveils First-Ever Manifesto for Rajasthan Panchayat Polls
Sankalp Patra promises rural development, jobs, healthcare, farm support and infrastructure as the BJP and Congress prepare for the Panchayati Raj elections.
GG News Bureau
Jaipur, 12th Oct: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released a state-level manifesto, titled Sankalp Patra, for Rajasthan’s Panchayati Raj elections, outlining promises on rural infrastructure, education, healthcare, women’s welfare, employment and agriculture. The move comes as the BJP and Congress intensify preparations for the local body polls.
The BJP is approaching the elections with a statewide campaign strategy, involving its state leadership, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and national president Nitin Nabin. During his September 25 visit to Rajasthan, Nabin flagged off 90 campaign vehicles to publicise the party’s policies and urged local leaders to address issues such as cross-voting and defections reported during urban local body elections.
The party said its manifesto was prepared after consultations with local leaders and rural residents, taking into account Rajasthan’s regional, geographical and cultural diversity.
Healthcare and education promises
Under its proposed One Block, One Blood Bank initiative, the BJP has promised to establish a blood bank in every panchayat samiti area. It has also pledged to increase assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana from ₹5,000 to ₹8,000.
The manifesto promises at least one senior secondary school in every gram panchayat and annual assistance of ₹1,200 to students from economically weaker families for school bags, books and uniforms.
Atal Gyan Kendras are proposed for every gram panchayat, offering internet access, digital libraries, competitive examination materials and career guidance.
Jobs, startups and women’s welfare
The BJP has promised to facilitate 10 lakh employment opportunities across the government and private sectors. It has also proposed launching the Rajasthan Agriculture Accelerator Mission with an investment of ₹500 crore to support agricultural startups.
The manifesto pledges to increase pensions for eligible widowed women to ₹1,500 per month and provide female athletes with financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakh.
Rural roads, transport and connectivity
The party has promised the construction of more than 3,000 kilometres of rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. It has also proposed spending more than ₹9,000 crore on 19,000 kilometres of missing-link roads.
The manifesto sets a target of providing regular Rajasthan Roadways bus services between every gram panchayat and its district headquarters, alongside expanded mini-bus and other rural transport facilities.
The BJP has also promised internet connectivity for every gram panchayat and development works worth an average of ₹5 crore per gram panchayat over five years. Other proposals include public parks, open gyms and food courts in larger villages, improved property ownership documentation under the Swamitva Scheme, and the distribution of 25 lakh Swamitva cards or property titles.
A Grid Sub-Station (GSS) facility in every gram panchayat is another proposal in the document.
Agriculture, irrigation and dairy support
The manifesto promises to increase annual assistance under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi to ₹12,000 and procure wheat at ₹2,700 per quintal through a bonus over the Minimum Support Price (MSP). It also proposes MSP-based procurement arrangements for jowar and bajra.
The BJP has pledged daytime electricity for irrigation across districts, subsidies for irrigation pipelines for two lakh farmers and support for field fencing, shade nets and greenhouses.
The proposed measures also include an Amrit Sarovar in every gram panchayat, vermicompost units, pasture development plans and agricultural produce collection centres in every panchayat samiti area.
For the dairy sector, the party has promised to establish 20,000 dairy cooperative societies to help farmers secure fair prices for milk. Other animal husbandry proposals include five lakh additional Pashudhan Kisan Credit Cards over five years and low-interest loans of up to ₹10 lakh for poultry farming.
The manifesto also includes the ₹34,102-crore Yamuna Water Project for drinking water and irrigation in the Shekhawati region, along with a proposed ₹100-crore camel conservation initiative.
Congress questions BJP’s record
Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra criticised the manifesto, calling it a set of election-time promises. He alleged that funds announced earlier had not been released and questioned the delay in Panchayat elections and the appointment of administrators in place of elected representatives.
The BJP, meanwhile, is positioning the manifesto as a roadmap for rural development. The party’s centralised campaign approach follows its strategy during the urban local body elections, when Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma held roadshows in all 10 major cities with municipal corporations.
As the two parties prepare for the Panchayati Raj elections, rural development commitments, implementation of earlier announcements and the role of local governance are emerging as key points of political contest.
