Jaipur, May 1 -- Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government for what he described as the "arbitrary and politically motivated" restructuring of Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies. Taking to social media platform X, Gehlot expressed deep concern over the government's actions, alleging a clear violation of established rules and norms. Gehlot alleged that district collectors across the state are being rendered powerless, as decisions are being made solely at the state government level. "This is the first time I'm witnessing such a blatant disregard for all rules and regulations. Instead of addressing public objections, collectors are saying they can't do anything," he wrote. He said, "The BJP and RSS are working together to win Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections by any means necessary. To achieve this, they first avoided holding by-elections in several places, including for the Bharatpur Zila Pramukh. Then, under the pretext of 'One State-One Election', they failed to conduct elections even after the completion of terms. Now, in an effort to secure vote banks and ensure victory, they are ignoring established rules and public convenience." Gehlot said neither the minimum and maximum population criteria are being followed, nor is proper distance from administrative headquarters being considered. In some cases, villages located as far as 10km from cities are being included in urban local bodies, while in others, villages are being added to panchayats in such a way that the panchayat headquarters ends up being 5-10km away. "I want to tell the state government that such actions are not appropriate. Public resentment is growing over these decisions. District collectors must also ensure that the entire reorganization process is carried out in a lawful and consistent manner, without succumbing to political pressure," said Gehlot. BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said the way Gehlot has misused the governance is not hidden. The wards across the state was delimitated without any need and violating all norms and rules. "Now that the Bhajan Lal Sharma led BJP government is making things systematic and correct, they cannot digest," he said....