Gehlot cautions Congress leaders about ‘misuse’ of police, administration by BJP in Rajasthan Panchayat polls
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has urged Congress party members to unite for the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections. He warned that the BJP may misuse police and administrative power to influence the outcome.
Why it matters
The statement reflects the intense political rivalry in India's regional elections and concerns regarding the integrity of local democratic processes.
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Monday (October 12, 2026) called upon party leaders and workers to unite for the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections and warned them that the BJP will "repeat the misuse of police and administration".
The Panchayati Raj polls will be held in four phases from October 22 to November 16.
"The BJP will certainly repeat the misuse of the administration and police during the Panchayati Raj elections, just as it did in the urban local body polls. We will have to confront this dishonesty by taking the people along," Mr. Gehlot said in a post on X.
He claimed that despite alleged irregularities, the Congress performed well in the urban local body elections and secured nearly as many votes as the BJP.
"The Congress has always been strong in rural areas, and therefore, the party will win," the former Chief Minister said.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in