With the completion of the mayoral elections in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota, the overall picture across Rajasthan’s 10 municipal corporations has become clear. The BJP has secured the mayoral post in nine of the 10 corporations, while the Congress has managed to win the mayor’s seat in only one-Bikaner. Across local bodies as a whole, including municipal councils and municipalities, the BJP has formed boards in 204 bodies, compared with 96 for the Congress.
Election Results Spark Intense Political Maneuvering
Following the declaration of councillor election results on September 14, the Congress and BJP immediately began efforts to form governing boards. This led to a heated struggle between the two parties, who took measures to protect their councillors from potential poaching. Allegations have emerged from the opposition regarding councillor abductions and horse-trading in various regions.
Alongside the continuing Pilot-Gehlot factional differences, the reported tensions between Ashok Gehlot and Govind Singh Dotasra added to the challenges confronting the party during the civic body elections. In protest, the party boycotted the subsequent deputy mayor election. The mayoral election in the Pali Municipal Corporation delivered another setback to the Congress. Meanwhile, the election for the Municipal Council chairperson in Mundwa, in Nagaur district, produced perhaps the most striking example of cross-voting. Overall, the BJP has performed better across the state compared with the previous elections. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma actively campaigned through roadshows during the civic polls, while the party entered the contest with detailed organisational planning. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took a veiled dig at State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, suggesting that the results might have been different had the Congress also held roadshows. The party also needs to examine why votes went to independent candidates instead of Congress nominees, he stated.
In the Kota Municipal Corporation election held on Friday, the Congress had 39 councillors but received only 35 votes. Despite winning 29 of the 65 wards, the party failed to secure the mayor’s post. Congress candidate Sumitra Jain received only three votes, while rebel candidate Rajbala Hingad secured 29. Amid the internal rebellion, the BJP’s Namita Bubakia won the mayoral election with 33 votes. The Mundwa municipality has 25 wards, of which the BJP won 10, the Congress three, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) seven and independents five.
Nabin also said that if a candidate receives a ticket on the recommendation of an MP or MLA and subsequently turns against the party, the responsibility will lie with the leader who recommended the candidate.
Political rhetoric had begun to dominate the Congress even before the electoral battle was fully under way.
