Is Congress Betting on Youth to Revive Grassroots Connect in Rajasthan?

Jaipur, June 18 (NationPress) In a significant organisational shift, the Congress party has announced that 50 percent of election tickets will be allocated to candidates under the age of 50 for the forthcoming Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections in Rajasthan.

The President of Rajasthan Congress, Govind Singh Dotasra, stated, “The distribution of tickets will be significantly influenced by district, block, and mandal presidents. Following the directives from the high command, 50 percent of tickets in these elections will be reserved for candidates aged below 50.”

The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee has initiated the execution of this strategy, instructing local leaders to identify and prepare young and emerging candidates for electoral roles.

This initiative is in line with the party’s organisational reform agenda established during the 2022 Udaipur Chintan Shivir, where the Udaipur Manifesto advocated for increased youth participation in politics by reserving half the tickets for individuals under 50.

The rollout of the plan will occur in phases, beginning with local body elections, followed by Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, as per party sources.

In a marked change from previous practices, the party's ticket distribution system has been overhauled. The selection process, which was previously dominated by senior figures in the state election committee, will now incorporate feedback from district, block, and mandal presidents, thereby ensuring a more decentralized approach.

In urban local bodies, elections will take place for positions such as councillors, municipal presidents, city council chairpersons, and mayors. In Panchayati Raj institutions, elections will include zila parishad members, panchayat samiti members, district heads, sarpanches, and ward panches. Although sarpanch and ward panch elections are non-party-based, others will be contested under party symbols.

Party officials are optimistic that the 50 percent youth quota will significantly bolster young representation across elected bodies.

“This initiative will invigorate the grassroots and cultivate a pool of young leaders,” remarked a party worker.

The state government has also revealed plans to conduct simultaneous elections across urban and rural local bodies under the One State, One Election model. The terms for nearly 7,000 panchayats have concluded, and administrators have been assigned to both panchayats and municipal bodies.

Civic polls are expected to occur by the end of the year, while Panchayati Raj elections may take place next year, with a petition challenging the delay currently pending in the High Court.

Dotasra emphasized the necessity of mandal and block committees, instructing them to supervise on-ground preparations. He also mandated all Assembly coordinators to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) within seven days. The necessary proforma issued by the Election Department must be filled and submitted for each BLA promptly, he added.

Congress state spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi noted that this initiative aims to foster a new generation of leadership.

“With numerous candidates contesting local polls, we will witness a surge of young leaders emerging. This will also boost the morale of grassroots workers,” he stated while speaking to IANS.