New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday congratulated the party’s office-bearers and workers after BSP candidates won 19 seats in the municipal elections held in Rajasthan.Mayawati said the party could have secured an even better result, but alleged that several BSP candidates suffered defeat by narrow margins during recounting due to irregularities in the government machinery.Taking to social media platform X, Mayawati wrote in Hindi (loosely translated), “In the municipal elections held in Rajasthan, the BSP has also succeeded this time by getting its councillors elected to 19 seats, and many candidates were forcibly defeated in the recount by a margin of just a few votes due to irregularities in the government machinery; otherwise, the party could have achieved an even better result here. For this, the party has extended hearty congratulations and best wishes to all the small and big office-bearers and workers of the BSP."The BSP chief also pointed out that the party had performed better than before in the recently held local body elections in Punjab and some other states.

"Although before this, in local body elections held in Punjab and some other states of the country as well, the party has achieved better results than before, and they too are worthy of congratulations," she said.Mayawati expressed hope that the party would build on these performances and deliver stronger results in the forthcoming Assembly elections and the next Lok Sabha elections."It is hoped that in the upcoming Assembly general elections there and in the Lok Sabha general elections in the country, all those people will surely bring even better results for their party," she added.Meanwhile, the ruling BJP emerged as the leading party in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections, finishing ahead of the Congress in terms of wards won. The BJP secured 4,179 wards, compared with 3,613 won by the Congress, and obtained clear majorities in four of the state’s 10 municipal corporations.The Congress party, however, secured a majority in the Bikaner Municipal Corporation and registered a significant victory in the Jhalawar Municipal Council, which is considered a stronghold of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

/ IANS