RSS's panna pramukhs led to BJP's loss Assembly elections in Rajasthan

One of the reasons for BJP's defeat in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Rajasthan is hinted to be the about-face of its booth executives and panna pramukhs. The footsoldiers were drawn from the RSS cadre and entrusted the task of bringing voters to the booths on D-day. However, result analysis shows that some BJP candidates secured such a low number of votes, it indicates that the panna pramukhs did not vote for them.

The reason, sources say, is deep-rooted angst against the Vasundhara Raje government which the workers say didn't pay heed to their demands.

Ashok Parnami, former BJP state president, constituted booth committees and panna pramukhs during his tenure.

The party has a 21-member team on each polling booth, but ironically, Parnami himself got less than 10 votes from 14 booths, indicating that many panna pramukhs and booth committee members did not vote in his favour.

For 2018's Assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP has set up a 21-member booth committee for 51,000 booths across Rajasthan. Panna pramukhs have been appointed to each booth and entrusted with a voter list of 60 voters, each.

On an average, 16 panna pramukhs were assigned to each booth. In many of them, the party's candidate did not even get 16 votes. In Jaipur, BJP faced defeat in its stronghold, the Hawa Mahal constituency. According to the election report, BJP's Surendra Pareek got less than 10 votes at 31 booths.

Rao Rajendra Singh, a BJP candidate from Shahpura and former deputy speaker in the Assembly, failed to secure a single vote from booth number 43. Kishanpol candidate Mohanlal Gupta got less than 10 votes at 10 polling booths; and one from booth number 38.