Jaipur: Posters carrying the message “UGC Rollback” have appeared across wards in Vidyadhar Nagar, one of BJP’s strongest political bastions in Jaipur, with community members displaying them in support of Congress and Independent candidates.The campaign follows Shri Rajput Karni Sena’s announcement that it would oppose BJP in civic elections, with its impact particularly visible in Vidyadhar Nagar. Congress candidates say posters reflect growing dissatisfaction among sections of BJP’s traditional support base.They cited the UGC controversy, the Gen-Z movement and allegations surrounding donations collected for Ram temple to argue that some of BJP’s core supporters may be moving away from the party.Congress candidate from ward 21 Rakesh Lata Sharma said, “BJP’s traditional voters may support Congress this time as many young people and sections of different communities are dissatisfied with the party over its policies. We expect this to help Congress win more wards in Jaipur.”However, BJP candidate from the same ward, Ajay Singh Chauhan, dismissed the UGC issue as a factor in the civic polls. “People need to understand the matter properly. Supreme Court has stayed the new regulation and no final decision has been taken so far. More importantly, these elections are about local civic matters. UGC is not an issue in municipal elections. This is a pre-planned move by Congress and it will not succeed,” Chauhan said.Vidyadhar Nagar has remained a BJP stronghold since the constituency was created in 2008, with the party winning all four assembly elections held so far from the seat. From 2008 to 2018, Narpat Singh Rajvi represented the constituency. In 2023, BJP candidate Diya Kumari recorded Rajasthan’s biggest victory from the seat, further cementing Vidyadhar Nagar’s image as a BJP bastion.
