Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has warned that drought-like conditions in western Rajasthan could trigger a severe drinking water, irrigation and livestock crisis, while accusing the state government of delaying relief measures. Gehlot made the remarks during a two-day visit to assess conditions in Jaisalmer and campaign during the ongoing Panchayati Raj elections.
Speaking at a farmers’ rally in Jaisalmer on Sunday, Gehlot said the situation required direct monitoring at the chief minister’s level. He alleged that the BJP-led state government had not initiated adequate relief measures despite worsening conditions in the region. “If the situation is not monitored at the CM level and timely actions are not taken, people across the state will face immense hardship,” he said, according to the Times of India report.
Gehlot cited livestock deaths, rising fodder prices and serious water shortages as immediate concerns. He also warned that the depletion of reservoirs in Rajasthan and northern India could affect both drinking water supplies and irrigation in the coming months. The remarks place water storage and emergency rural supply systems at the centre of the state’s drought response, particularly in western districts where households and livestock depend heavily on limited water sources.
The warning has implications beyond agriculture. A shortage of drinking water can increase pressure on tanker supply, local distribution networks and public water infrastructure, while higher fodder prices can affect livestock-dependent households. The report did not provide official reservoir levels, estimates of livestock deaths or details of any government relief package, so the scale of the crisis and the administration’s current response could not be independently established from the material available.
During his visit, Gehlot also spoke about communal harmony in the border region and criticised government actions against religious sites. He said local residents had maintained solidarity across religious affiliations and argued that the region’s longstanding tradition of brotherhood should be preserved. He later offered prayers at the Tanot Mata temple near the India-Pakistan border.
Gehlot’s criticism also extended to the delimitation process for the rural local body elections. Speaking to the media in Jaipur before travelling to Jaisalmer, he alleged that the process had been manipulated in favour of the BJP, drawing a comparison with what he described as irregularities in recent urban local body elections. He specifically questioned differences in ward sizes, saying some wards had as few as 85 voters while others had substantially larger populations.
“I describe the way delimitation was carried out as dishonest,” Gehlot said, while accusing former ministers Ghanshyam Tiwari, Rajendra Rathore and Arun Chaturvedi of manipulating the exercise. The report did not include responses from the state government, the officials named by Gehlot or the authorities responsible for conducting the delimitation process.
The immediate administrative questions are whether drought-relief measures will be announced, how water and fodder supplies will be monitored, and whether the delimitation allegations will receive a formal response from the relevant election authorities. No further government action or implementation timeline was cited in the report.
