The announcement was made during the CM’s reply during the debate on the budget in the assembly. CM also announced to add three new administrative divisions – Sikar, Banswara and Pali – in the existing list of seven. Months ahead of the assembly elections this year, the move is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Congress party.
With 50 districts, Rajasthan now has the third highest number of districts in the country after Uttar Pradesh (71) and Madhya Pradesh (53). The state ranks seventh in terms of population. The announcement, which came just six days after Gehlot extended the term of the Ram Lubhaya Committee tasked with the creation of new districts, took everyone by surprise.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore said, “The CM extended the term of the Lubhya committee, saying there was a delay in getting its report. It is difficult to understand how 19 districts have now been announced without receiving the report.”
CM Gehlot announced formation of 19 new districts in Rajasthan
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore said, “The CM extended the term of the Lubhya committee, saying there was a delay in getting its report. It is difficult to understand how 19 districts have now been announced without receiving the report.”
The present Jaipur district has been divided into four new districts – Jaipur North, Jaipur South, Dudu and Kotputli-Behror. The CM’s bastion of Jodhpur has been divided into three districts – Jodhpur East, Jodhpur West and Phalodi.
Deteriorating law and order was also one of the reasons behind the downsizing of large districts. Interestingly, there was no popular demand to make Jaipur North and South or Jodhpur East and West as separate districts. Ajmer district is divided into Ajmer, Kekri and Beawar districts. The demand for Beawar in all the newly created districts is 40 years old. About two to three generations of Beawar have been continuously demanding to make the district.
The crab was a big surprise as local MLA Raghu Sharma raised this demand recently.
The demand to make Balotra a separate district from Barmer was also pending for a long time. Local MLA Madan Prajapat gave up wearing shoes in May last year and went barefoot as a mark of protest until the demand was met.
In his speech, Gehlot made special mention of Prajapat and said that the MLAs will now be able to wear slippers.
The decision to create new districts and divisions has political ramifications. The creation of Banswara as a division and Salumber as a district is aimed at wooing the tribal communities who voted for the BJP in last year’s assembly elections in neighboring Gujarat.
Deeg (Bharatpur) and Khairthal (Alwar) and the new districts of Sikar as a division purely to manage law and order and restore people’s faith in the government.