BJP Wins Most Rajasthan Civic Posts Amid Allegations and High Court Interventions

The ruling party has won 197 of the 301 chairperson posts in urban local bodies across Rajasthan where results have been announced, while the Congress has secured 95 posts. Out of seven corporations where mayoral elections have been held, the BJP has won six. In Ajmer and Pali, the Congress was initially ahead in the number of councillors, but the BJP ultimately won the mayoral posts, including Anamika Sharma in Ajmer and Namita Bubakia in Pali. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party won its first chairperson post in the Baran Municipal Council with candidate Sheetal Rathore getting 31 votes out of 60, and other posts went to the CPI(M), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, and Independents.

Allegations And Police Action

The electoral battles saw major friction, including allegations of police interference and abductions. The Congress claimed that 18 councillors from the Tijara Municipal Council were stopped by the Haryana Police near Panchkula as they travelled from Himachal Pradesh to vote. Panchkula ACP Ram Kumar denied any role by the Haryana Police. In Sri Ganganagar, the wife of an independent councillor filed a habeas corpus petition in the Rajasthan High Court following alleged gunfire and abductions. The High Court directed authorities to trace the councillor and eventually postponed the election to September 28. In Kekri Nagar Palika, the BJP alleged an attempt by the Congress to influence one of its councillors with a payment of Rs 51 lakh, though the Congress candidate Anil Kumar Mittal won the chairperson post. Elections for four more bodies, including Jaipur, Kota, and Jodhpur municipal corporations, are set for September 25.